Between Heaven and Middle Earth
by The Four Chosen
Summary: Four girls who thought they had ordinary lives find their way into Middle-Earth. They meet the remaining Fellowship members and team up to destroy a new evil...
1. Look! A Magic Portal!

Chapter 1: Look! A Magic Portal

It had started out like as any normal day, and Kaysie and Ariel were researching topics for their article reports during their fourth period class. But, because they had mostly researched their topics at home, and were ahead of the class as usual, they decided to just waste that afternoon in class by just looking at the different titles on books, and being extremely bored.

"Hey!" Ariel whispered.

"What is it?" Kaysie ask.

"I've never noticed that door before…"

The door was colored a pure white, which was odd because all the doors were painted black and red.

"Wonder where it goes? Maybe it'll take us away from school. Maybe _Bray_ will be on the other side," Kaysie said with a dreamy sigh.

_Oh brother,_ Ariel thought to herself as she opened the door. "I'm going to go see where it actually leads to… hopefully not Bray."

"You're mean. Just for that maybe I'll stay behind and lock you in the portal," Kaysie said annoyed.

"Actually I wouldn't mind. That would mean no more school and no more annoying people!"  Ariel began as she stepped through the doorway. "Sure is dark in here…"

"Wait! I'm coming too!" Kaysie quickly said.

"Bring some light, would you?" Ariel shouted from the darkness.

A flashlight happened to be sitting on the table right behind Kaysie. She turned around, picked it up, and quickly ran through the portal, trying to catch up with Ariel.

"Got a flashlight!" she shouted. "Let's go!"

"Okay!" Ariel replied, somewhere.

After a few minutes of traveling in the dark, guided by the little flashlight's rays, they finally made it to the end of the tunnel. The girls had found an extremely large flowerbed with all sorts of colorful wild flowers.

"Yay! We made it! Ooh, flowers," was Ariel's first reaction.

"I hope there are no bees. Wait! Do you hear running water?" Kaysie asked.

"Don't say that… it'll made me feel like I gotta go…" Ariel said awkwardly.

"Too much info," Kaysie sighed.

"Hey look! A river! But what's that across the it?" Ariel said, pointing to the gently flowing stream. 

"Hm…maybe it's Bray," Kaysie said with hearts in her eyes. "Or it's a cute little bunny rabbit."

"Careful," Ariel cautioned.

"What? Why? It's just a cute little bunny." She gave Ariel a funny look.

"Don't you watch Monty Python? You know, the Killer Rabbit?! It looked just like that one!"

"Weirdo…" Kaysie murmured.

"Whatever… but when it comes after you, don't come crying to me…"

"Aww…but I wanted Bray!!!"

"You didn't hear a word I just said, did you?" Ariel asked.

"Oh well. Maybe next time," Kaysie said, with yet another dreamy sigh.

While Kaysie was stuck in Gaga Land, Ariel looked around to the world around them.

"Hey Kaysie, let's go inside that castle," Ariel said, pointing in the direction of the large castle. "I hope we see Hobbits…"

"Especially Frodo. Let's go find out!"

So, they walked up to the castle, but ran into a little snag. The castle had a moat around it and the drawbridge happened to be up.

"How do we get inside?" Ariel asked disappointed.

"We could swim across…" Kaysie suggested.

Just then, an alligator jumped up out of the water, and landed back in it. They both blocked the water from splashing on them by raising their arms in front of their faces.

"Or not… maybe we could build a boat…" Kaysie said, thinking out loud.

"What do I look like, Noah?" Ariel retorted. 

"I don't know what Noah looks like. But if I had a guess…" Kaysie began.

"And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean?!" Ariel shouted.

"Depends on what you want it to mean. Could be insulting or it may be a compliment…"

_How's being compared to a dead guy a compliment?_ Ariel said to herself. Ariel ignored what Kaysie said and continued with,  "Maybe we can sneak around the back."

"Is there a way around the back? What if the moat goes all the way around the castle?" Kaysie then saw something that would leave them speechless. "Wait… I think I see someone walking around by the entrance on this side of the moat. Let's go ask him for some help."

Ariel looked over and saw the… Hobbit. Immediately, she recognized him.

"It's…it's…" she gasped.

"Frodo!" Kaysie finished. "I…I…I…uh…mmm…"

"You still want to ask him for directions?" Ariel said with a smirk.

"Um…um…ummm… It's Frodo! I can't believe it! It's actually him! I…I…wow." Kaysie's face turned bright red.

"Okay, okay… _I'll_ go and ask him…" She paused. "Are you coming or not?"

"I…I…can't move," Kaysie said short of breath.

"Look, do you want him to talk to us or not?! (You should think about these things)," Ariel reasoned.

"OF COURSE I DO!" Kaysie shouted, and she finally moved. "Yay, I can move again!"

"Okay…weirdo…" Ariel mutters as she begins to walk in the direction of Frodo. She stops to look back at Kaysie, who hasn't taken a step yet, and says,

"Are you coming or not?"

"Yup," Kaysie replies. She hurriedly catches up with Ariel.

They both walk up to Frodo with cherry cheeks and broad smiles on their faces.

"Hello there," Frodo begins.

The girls are caught speechless and their staring at his dashing good looks began to freak him out a little.

"Ah…what are your names?" he asks, trying to strike up some sort of conversation.


	2. Inside the Castle

Chapter 2: Inside the Castle

Ariel and Kaysie looked at one another before Ariel spoke.

"I'm Ariel," she said.

"And I'm Kaysie."

Frodo smiled warmly, beginning to feel more comfortable. 

"I'm Frodo," he replied.

"We know," said Kaysie and Ariel as one rousing a confused look on Frodo's handsome features.

"It's a long story," said Kaysie answering his look. "And I promise we'll explain later. But right now we're trying to get into that castle."

"Why's that?" asked Frodo.

"Well, looks like we're going to have to tell him our story now," said Ariel to Kaysie and then to Frodo she said, "The thing is… we came here through a portal that we found in our school library. We have no idea of where we'll go or how we'll get back home."

"And, we thought," added Kaysie, "that maybe we would be able to get some help from someone in that castle."

Kaysie pointed at the castle. Frodo followed her finger to the castle. Noticing this, Kaysie lowered her arm to her side and blushed. Frodo smiled shyly at this while Ariel rolled her eyes and muttered,

"Oh, brother," then aloud she asked, "Who owns the castle anyway?"

"Well, Aragorn and Arwen own it, as you say; but many live there. Come, I'll take you to the castle and you can meet everyone and then maybe Gandalf can help you with your problem," replied Frodo knowingly.

"Gandalf! You mean _The_ Gandalf? The wizard that fought with the Balrog in the depths of Moria?" asked Ariel astounded.

"Um…yes," said Frodo once again confused.

"Wow," was all Kaysie said.

"How do you know of Gandalf… and me?" asked Frodo.

"It's a complicated story," said Ariel.

"Yes. Very," agreed Kaysie. "We'll tell you all about it. But first, can we go to the castle? I feel sort of weird."

"Of course," said Frodo. "Please, follow me."

Ariel and Kaysie followed Frodo to where the drawbridge was. At his command, a guard began to lower it. While they were waiting, Kaysie looked to Ariel. Her eyes widened when she had to look down to see her friend.

"Um, Ariel," she managed to say.

Ariel turned around expecting to look into her friend's face, but instead found herself looking at Kaysie's waist. Ariel looked up with disbelief displayed clearly on her face.

"You're…you're an Elf," she stuttered.

"And, you're a Hobbit," replied Kaysie.

The two friends looked on at each other in shock, all the while making Frodo even more confused.

"How in the world?" asked Ariel.

"I have no idea," answered Kaysie.

No one said another word as they walked over the drawbridge and into the castle.

When they were inside the castle, Kaysie and Ariel's worries subsided somewhat as the beautiful scenery enveloped their attention. The walls were lit warmly with torchlight and the stone floor was covered in some places with fine rugs. The windows were high, almost touching the ceiling, letting light spill onto the very large hall where on two thrones sat King Aragorn and the Lady Arwen. When Aragorn saw Frodo advancing toward him, he smiled broadly.

"Frodo! I wondered when you'd return from your walk. I was hoping that you would help me with the words for a new song…" Aragorn paused when he noticed Kaysie and Ariel. "Please forgive me, Frodo. I did not see your guests. Won't you introduce us?"

"Of course," answered Frodo. "This is Kaysie," he pointed her out and then pointed at Ariel, "and this is Ariel."

Then Frodo moved closer to Aragorn and Arwen and told them what he knew about the two strange girls. He also explained that they intended to seek help from Gandalf. When Frodo was finished, Aragorn seemed deeply troubled. Arwen feeling concerned herself rose from her seat and addressed Ariel and Kaysie.

"I am Arwen," she said. "And this is my husband Aragorn. We are both deeply troubled with your tale and will help in any way that we can. Please tell me though, it is rare to find an Elf and a Hobbit traveling together. How did you come to meet?"

"Well," said Ariel, "the truth is…is that we're not usually like this."

"In the world we come from," added Kaysie, "We're humans. We don't know how I became an Elf and how Ariel became a Hobbit, but we're friends nonetheless."

"Oh," was all Arwen said as she turned toward Aragorn, who along with Frodo had become very interested in the conversation at hand. 

Aragorn stood up next to his wife.

"This is very strange," he said. "Try not to worry though. I will speak with Gandalf and we shall get to the bottom of this. Until then, Kaysie and Ariel, you are both welcome to make yourselves at home."

"Thank you," said Kaysie.

"Yes, thank you," added Ariel. "It was nice meeting you both."

With a slight nod from Aragorn, Frodo led Ariel and Kaysie out of the room and back into the corridor.

In the corridor, Frodo, Ariel, and Kaysie met up with someone else. They could only see his back, but it seemed to be an Elf. The Elf had obviously felt their presence for he turned around to face them. Kaysie's eyes locked onto him. It was Legolas Greenleaf, prince of Mirkwood, son of King Thranduil.

"Hello, Legolas," Frodo greeted him warmly.

"Hello, Frodo," Legolas replied with a small smile. His eyes averted to Ariel and Kaysie. "And…"

"Oh," spoke up Frodo. "The Hobbit is Ariel and the Elf is Kaysie."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Legolas, said, his eyes fixed on Kaysie questioningly, who noticed him doing so and looked down at the floor.

"Legolas, I can't explain now. But I have to find rooms for Kaysie and Ariel. There's an empty Hobbit-sized room across from mine that Ariel can stay in, but I don't know where Kaysie can stay that will suit an Elf. Do you know where she might stay?" asked Frodo.

Legolas's brows furrowed slightly in thought. After a moment he said, "Actually, I know of such a room. The quarters down the hall from mine are not yet inhabited."

"That's wonderful," sighed a relieved Frodo.

"I can escort her there, if you like," continued Legolas to Frodo, and then to Kaysie, "If you don't mind."

"Not at all," replied Kaysie.

"Well, then that's settled," Frodo beamed. "Come on, Ariel. I shall get you settled."

"Okay," said Ariel smiling. "Bye, Kaysie. Bye, Legolas."

"Bye," said Kaysie and Legolas as one.

Frodo and Ariel walked passed Legolas and Kaysie and then disappeared around the corner at the end of the corridor. Kaysie continued to stare down the corridor until Legolas broke the odd silence between them.

"Perhaps you would like to see your room, my lady?" he asked.

"Yes, of course," answered Kaysie. "And please, call me Kaysie."

**          "I will call you Kaysie then if you wish it. And, please call me only Legolas. I do not like it when people call me anything but that," said Legolas with a small smile.**

          "It's a deal then," stated Kaysie, who felt as if she could faint.

          Legolas' smile widened as he offered his arm to her. She took it gratefully and the two companions headed in the opposite direction of their friends.

          Meanwhile, on the other side of the castle Ariel was getting settled into her quarters. Frodo had left only moments ago after promising he would return later. He had said that he needed to speak with Aragorn. Ariel didn't mind though; after all, he had promised to return. Ariel inspected the room that she was in. It was certainly comfortable enough with dark green walls, cozy fireplace, beautiful wood furniture, feather bed, and a wonderful view. Everything seemed perfect... well until Ariel looked into the mirror that is. To her dismay, she was wearing a dress.

          Kaysie, however, was admiring her own reflection in her mirror. Her hair had grown out so that it fell half way down her back and strangely enough, the color had turned from dirty blonde to golden blonde. Her ears were also pointed and even though she hated dresses, Kaysie didn't mind the one that she was wearing.

          After getting over the shock of her new appearance, Kaysie inspected the set of rooms that temporarily belonged to her. The walls were creamed color and arranged throughout the rooms were wooden pieces of furniture. There was also a bedroom with a feather bed and balcony that overlooked the gardens. It was all very beautiful.

            Neither of the girls left their rooms and the only people they saw were Frodo and Legolas, who brought Ariel and Kaysie their dinner. Frodo and Legolas also found themselves knowing more about the two mysterious girls by the end of the day. Kaysie and Ariel also acquired some information too and by bedtime, they could only imagine what the days to come would bring.


	3. Legolas Has A Double!

Chapter 3: Legolas Has a Double 

          Unknown to Ley (a.k.a: Ashley) two of her friends were missing. She had to write an article about any subject that she wanted and she chose ancient Egypt. She already had her information and had just gone to the library to type some of it on a floppy.

          After leaving the library, Ley didn't pay attention to the hallways.

          "Thank God, this is my last year here," she muttered to herself.

          Just then, she saw a bright light glowing from somewhere. She followed the glowing to a white door with no doorknob or keyhole.

          "Okay. Weird door, no doorknob or keyhole, and where in the world did it come from?"

          Ley looked down the hall in all directions, noticed no one, then pushed on the door. It opened. Ley wasn't expecting that and fell to the ground on the inside of the door face first.

          Glad no one saw, Ley pushed herself up on two feet and went to leave but found that she couldn't. The door wouldn't open. She sighed and began to walk down the passageway by feeling along the walls with her hands.

          Ley could hear water, like a river, and when she ran out of the tunnel, a bright blinding light greeted her. When her eyes were used to the light, Ley could see the source of the sound of water. It was a small river.

          "Okay, last time I checked, there wasn't a river near the school." Ley shook her head. "This is a weird dream," she thought to herself.

          She walked the couple of yards to the river's bank. Unlike most riverbanks, this one wasn't muddy. Ley sat at the river's side and peered into the water. The person looking back at her looked a lot like Ley but in the reflection her hair was longer though not by much, and she was wearing a frilly dress that was a dark shade of green and brown, and when she pushed her hair back she had pointed ears. Ley's eyes widened and she jumped back.

          "I'm... What am I? Where am I?" It dawned on her that she was alone.

          Ley walked backwards away from the river's edge. When she turned around, she was staring straight into a brown tunic. Her eyes widened again.

          "I am so sorry." She looked down. "I don't believe it," she thought. "I must look foolish."

          "Is there a problem, m' lady?" His voice was deep and calm. It eased the tension that weighed on her shoulders at the moment.

          "Yes, something is wrong... I'm alone in a place I've never seen before, far away from my friends, and I'm not even human."

          "You aren't human?" Ley never looked at him, just listened to his voice.

          "When I woke up this morning I was. Now I look into a river and someone different stares back at me."

          "Things may seem hard coming to a new home and not knowing where in Middle-Earth you..."

          "Middle-Earth! I'm in Middle-Earth?" For the first time, Ley looked at the speaker. He was tall, had blonde hair that hung half way down his back, and the most startling blue eyes she had ever seen. He was also an elf.

          "Wonder how old he is in elf years?" Ley thought to herself. "He reminds me of Legolas, or how I picture him at least." She turned a bright red.

          "Yes, we're in Middle Earth," he looked confused.

          "Umm... If you are willing to hear a long story, I'll tell you how I got here." He nodded.

          Ley explained everything she could without giving her life story, which would have been dull anyway. She told of her friends Ariel, Sarah, and Kaysie and how she hadn't seen them at all that day at school.

          "You say you normally see them daily?"

          Ley and the male elf had sat down on the ground and Ley still didn't know his name. She nodded her answer.

          "I... I never learned your name."

          For a moment he was silent. When he did speak, his voice was soft.

          "I used to be someone else. Even though he didn't mean to have the outcome he did, a small hobbit friend used a staff of magic on me. He created two of me. I'm the copy. I may seem in every way just like him but I'm not Legolas Greenleaf. We share the same memories, yet we each live different lives now. I go by Negolas."

          "Legolas! No wonder he reminded me of him; because he was him," Ley thought. "Oh, I never told you my name. It's Ashley, but everyone calls me Ley. Nice to meet you." She put out a hand. Negolas blinked a few times, then nodded, and shook her hand.

          "Do you have somewhere to stay?" Negolas asked.

          "I just traveled through to another world where I am alone, an elf, where I meet Legolas' double Negolas, my friends aren't around... need I say more?"

          "Well, I was not yet through with what I had to say," Negolas said.

          "Oh, well continue." Ley put up a hand to hide her smile.

          "Consider it my hospitality, please. I have a home not far from here. Would you like to stay with me until either we can find your friends or find you a way home?"

          "I wanna stay," Ley whined to herself, then said, "You... are inviting me to your place?"

          "My place?"

          "Uh... It's like your home, or residence, or something like that." She smiled. "I think I'm gonna like Negolas."


	4. It's Raining Elves

Chapter 4: It's Raining Elves

          Sarah was coming back from lunch, minding her own business, holding her two favorite manga: "Real Bout High School" and "Dragon Knights". Sarah also had her hair up in Chinese hair sticks. She had a lot on her mind too. One thing was: 

          "Why aren't my friends here? They're so dead!" The other thought was, "I wish I was an elf. That'd be so cool with the pointy ears and the long hair… and… and… hmm… what else?"

          Anyway, Sarah was walking down the hallway when she suddenly heard voices saying,

          "Go into the light, go into the light!"

          Sarah then saw the library. She walked inside and saw a glowing white door. Still listening to the voices in her head, she opened the white door and walked inside.

*  *  *

          Aragorn and Arwen were in their room trying to figure out what to do with Ariel and Kaysie. Suddenly, they heard screaming, a crash, and the next thing they knew, a girl was sitting on their bed with a scared look on her face.

          Ariel and Kaysie apparently heard the crash because they came running in through the door.

          "What happened?" they both asked.

          Sarah saw Ariel and her eyes grew to half the size of her head.

          "Ariel! You're... you're... SHORT!" Sarah said. And with those last few words, she fainted.


	5. Many Meetings Again

Chapter 5: Many Meetings... Again 

**          _I may be in Middle Earth, staying in a really cool castle, and I just happen to be staying in a room across from Frodo Baggins, but I can't stand being in this room any longer!! There's a whole world out there to explore! And for all I know, I may go home today. Can't waste anymore time here,_ Ariel sat on the bed thinking to herself. She glanced at the window and saw the lovely full moon in the sky, along with all the bright stars. She got up off the bed and stood in front of the window, although not to admire the view.**

          _Yeah,_ she thought. _This should work. There is a ledge below here. Maybe I could sneak…_

          There was a knock at the door.

          _Maybe I should sneak... _she finished. "Come in!" she called. Already Ariel knew who it was.

          "Hello," Frodo began. He shut the door behind him.

          "Hi there. What's up?" Ariel greeted.

          "Oh, well the moon and stars are out and…"

          Ariel laughed. "I didn't mean that literally. It just means, 'What's happening?' or 'Anything wrong?'... Stuff like that."

          "Oh," Frodo said, looking down at the ground. Was he embarrassed?

          "I'll try to watch what I say, okay?" she gave him a reassuring smile.

          "Ah, actually I did come here to ask you something. You see, Aragorn and Lady Arwen are holding a banquet, I suppose, and everyone is going to be there. Even Gandalf is coming. And... well, would you like to come?" Frodo asked.

          "Sure, and Kaysie is coming too, right?"

          "Yes, Legolas is asking her as we speak," he nodded.

          "Yes, of course," Ariel said rolling her eyes.

          Frodo gave her an awkward look.

          "It's not that I'm jealous or anything," Ariel explained. "It's just that... well, I can't exactly tell you why. Sworn to secrecy, you know."

          "Oh?" he said.

          "Yeah, but I think it's kind of obvious. You'll see. Um, you know, you don't have to stand against the door like that. You can sit down, if you want to," she added.

          "No, thank you. I was just about to go. Is there anything you need?"

          Ariel thought for a moment and looked around. Then, she looked down at what she was wearing; a dress. She knew she wasn't going to do any sneaking around (or be comfortable) until she was out of that dress.

          "Yes, actually, there is," she finally said.

          "Well, ah, what is -"

          "I need different clothes," Ariel interrupted.

          "Different clothes?"

          "Yeah, I really hate wearing dresses; they are such a pain. Could I perhaps have a regular shirt and pants, or shorts, or something? Please?" she asked.

          "But... umm..." Frodo began.

          "But what?" she asked.

          "Those clothes... well... they are usually for a man," he looked at her strangely.

          "Are you trying to say something?" Ariel teased.

          "I- I'm not trying to offend you or anything..." He looked frightened.

          "Hey, chill, okay?" Ariel said through her laughter.

          "Chill?" Frodo murmured.

          Ariel saw his bewilderment.

          "Oh, sorry. I mean relax. I'm not going to attack you or anything." She grinned.

          Frodo sighed in relief.

          "Look, where I come from, women wear pants, and shorts, and all sorts of clothing guys wear. It's totally normal," Ariel tried to explain.

          "Dresses are usually worn on special occasions."

          "So, then, do men wear women's clothing in your world?" Frodo asked.

          "Ah... yeah! The guys from Scotland wear skirts all the time. Totally acceptable, and they happen to be a bunch of tough guys too. They have log throwing competitions and stuff..."

          "How strange..." Frodo said. "Well, I guess you can have some of my clothes then. I'll be right back." He nodded, opened the door, and left.

          "Okay," Ariel quickly told him as he walked out the door. "Great, he probably thinks I'm the strangest person he's ever met. Then again, so do a lot of people I meet."

          After a while, Frodo came back with some "suitable" clothes for her to wear. So, she changed into them while Frodo waited outside the door for her.

          "Much better," she told herself. She decided to keep her necklace under her shirt. "Hey, Frodo!" she called, opening up the door.

          "Yes?" he said facing her.

          "How about killing some time with me, huh?" Ariel asked. "Not literally," she quickly added. "What I meant was, how about showing me around this place? I've been here for a couple of days now and all I've seen is this room," she said smiling.

          "Well, I..." Frodo stuttered.

          _He's really adorable when he's confused,_ Ariel thought. "Please!"

          "Alright," he nodded. "On one condition though."

          "And that is..." she began.

          "And that is you have to tell me about where you come from," he said, regaining some confidence.

          "Seems fair," Ariel said as they began the tour. "So what do you want to know about? Do you mean my world in general?"

          "Sure, that would be... uh..."

          "Cool?"

          "Yes, that would be very... cool," he said with a smirk.

          Ariel giggled. "Right... well, in general, where I come from is very fast paced. No time for resting, always: find a job, settle down, and raise a family. There's really not enough time to enjoy life." She looked over at Frodo.

          "Hey, but where I come from isn't all bad. In fact, there are a lot of conveniences too. Like... oh, you can send someone a letter in about five seconds, no matter where they are!"

          "Impossible," said Frodo.

          "It's true! And no one really travels on foot or by horse any more. Mostly by cars or trains... but, you probably don't know what those are..."

          "Not really..."

          "Sorry... what else is there... oh yeah, there are machines that wash clothes on their own and you can can practically get everything in these things called vending machines... just insert some money, and out pops whatever you asked for."

          "Including meals?"

          "Yep."

          "Amazing!"

          "I know."

          As they walked on, Ariel explained to Frodo about her world. They now had toured most of the castle. Suddenly, Frodo stopped in front of a certain door. This door was heavily engraved and seemed more important than the rest.

          "This room," Frodo explained, "Belongs to Aragorn and Lady Arwen."

          Ariel looked up and saw two guards looking off into space.

          _What a boring job..._

          Then, she peered ahead of them only to see two familiar faces.

          "I guess we weren't the only ones killing time," she said.

          "What do you mean?" Frodo asked.

          "Look." Ariel pointed up ahead. "It seems to be Kaysie and Legolas, Frodo."

          "So it is," he said as they approached.

          Instead of warm greetings, they stood there awkwardly as if they were guilty of something.

          _I guess Kaysie really likes dressing up as an elf,_ Ariel thought.

          Legolas spoke first, almost with a smile on his face. "Hobbits, I suppose, are faster in some areas than elves."

          "Oh, no. It's not like that," Frodo quickly said. He blushed.

          "Then perhaps an explanation. It seems your affection for her is not hidden."

          Ariel remembered that she was wearing some of Frodo's clothes.

          "Whoa, whoa, whoa! It's definitely not like that. And that's not funny!" she exclaimed, pointing up at Kaysie.

          Suddenly, they all heard a long scream and then a thud noise coming from Aragorn and Arwen's room. The guards rushed inside.

          "That scream sounded all too familiar," Ariel said.

          "Wait! Do you know who that sounded like?" Kaysie asked.

          "Sarah!" they both exclaimed.

          Ariel and Kaysie both ran inside the room.

          "You're not allowed to be in here!" one of the guards said.

          Ariel first saw Aragorn (who was shocked) on one side of the room, Sarah sitting in the middle of their bed, and Arwen (who was also shocked) on the other side of the room.

          "It's alright. They may stay," Aragorn spoke up.

          "What happened?" they both asked.

          Sarah's eyes widened when she saw Ariel. 

          "What?" Ariel mouthed.

          "Ariel! You're... you're... you're... short!" Then, she fainted face forward.

          "Glad she noticed," Ariel said.

          Ariel and Kaysie rushed over to Sarah to see if she was okay. Just then, Frodo and Legolas entered the room.

          "Another one?" Legolas said quietly.

          "The more, the merrier, as they say," Frodo replied.

          "As they say," Legolas repeated.

          "Sarah..." Ariel said, shaking her awake.

          "Wha- quit shaking me!" Sarah said as she came to.

          "How did you get here?" Kaysie asked.

          "I don't know! I just heard these voices..."

          "Great... schizophrenic elf..." Ariel said.

          "I'm not an elf!"

          "You are now," Kaysie told her.

          Sarah felt her ears. Sure enough, they were pointy.

          "I suppose we must find you a room," Aragorn said, walking towards them.

     Sarah's heart rate increased so much that she fainted... again. Aragorn picked her up into his arms and carried her off. When he lifted her up, she dropped two books. Ariel noticed them and picked them up.

          "Do you think Sarah would mind if I borrowed these?" Ariel asked.

          "Yes, I think she would," Kaysie answered.

          Ariel just shrugged and said, "I'll give them back eventually."

          "Eventually..." Kaysie replied.

          Ariel glared at her, but held her tongue. Instead, she bid goodnight and apologized to Arwen for all of the inconveniences.

          As they left the room, Kaysie said,

          "Hey, lemme see one of those books."

          "Why? So you can just chunk one at my head?"

          "And?"

          "I need this head, mind you."

          "No comment..."

          "Are you sure you two aren't related? Frodo asked.

          They had forgotten that Frodo and Legolas were right behind them.  They blushed.

          "No, we're sure," Kaysie said.

          "Hey, the only one missing now is Ashley!" Ariel noticed.

          "Shh. Don't jinx us with such a burden. That's all we need is her running around, talking non-stop about..." Kaysie looked at them.

          "Huh? Oh, well... sheez, you're ear gets numb after a while..."

          They both laughed.

          "Oh yeah, I forgot to ask; when is this dinner thing?" Ariel asked.

          "Tomorrow evening," Frodo said.

          "Right, so, I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow evening," she said to Kaysie and Legolas.

          They said their goodnights and then each headed off to their own rooms.

***

          So, the morning soon came and the afternoon came with it. Frodo came to see Ariel earlier than she expected.

          "Well, I was hoping to introduce you to everyone when they arrived," he explained.

          "Really? Who's coming now?" she asked.

          "Sam, Merry, and Pippin should be the first to arrive, since they wrote and said that they left as soon as they received their invitations."

          "Sam, Merry, and Pippin?" Ariel asked.

          "That's right. They were in that story you read about the War of the Ring, right?"

          "Yes! Samwise the Brave, Meriadoc the Mighty, and Peregrin- ah, he's kinda clumsy, but means well. Right?" she said almost reciting.

          "Amazing! You know so much for not being from this world!"

          "Actually, I would call it creepy... this just proves how much of a life I don't really have. Well, who knows... maybe being a nerd will pay off one day..."

          "A nerd?"

          "Means you know stuff other normal would think boring..."

          "Oh... maybe we should go and wait for them at the main entrance," Frodo suggested.

          "Excellent idea!"

          They walked many flights, or so Ariel thought, of stairs. When they reached the bottom, they saw Sarah rushing towards them.

          "Uh- oh..." Ariel said aloud.

          "She looks upset..." Frodo said.

          "She always looks like that."

          "Ariel! Where are my books? Kaysie said you 'borrowed' them!" Sarah exclaimed.

          "She's upset..." Ariel said to Frodo.

          "Darn right, I'm upset! Now where are my books?"

          "Haven't you heard the term 'pick on someone your own size'?"

          "Haven't you heard the term 'give me back my books or I'll smash your face in'?"

          "Oh, actually now that you mention it, I have." Ariel laughed uneasily. "Yeah, but... my new pet dragon ate them."

          "You have a new pet dragon?"

          "Yes, Sarah. I have a pet dragon." Ariel held back a grin.

          "But-," Frodo began.

          "Shh…"

          "How did you get a pet dragon?" Sarah asked.

          "Uh... Frodo caught him..."

          "What!" Frodo exclaimed.

          Ariel snuck past Sarah and ran to the other side of the room.

          "I did no such thing," Frodo tried to tell her.

          Sarah looked for Ariel and then spotted her.

          "You lied to me!" Sarah exclaimed.

          Ariel jumped on a nearby window ledge.

          "Duh! Don't tell me you fell for it! There hasn't been a dragon in Middle Earth since Smaug was killed!"

          "You know about Smaug?" Frodo asked.

          "Yeah! He's in 'There and Back Again, a Hobbit's Tale'."

          "Uncle Bilbo's book?"

          "Yep!"

          Sarah felt embarrassed.

          "I can't believe you tricked me!" she said, while running towards Ariel.

          Just then, an arrow sped on by and pinned Sarah's sleeve to the wall.

          "What the-?" she said.

          Ariel looked over and saw Legolas with his bow in his hands and Kaysie standing right beside him.

          "Honestly, I don't understand why someone would pick on such a small creature," Legolas said.

          "I'm not that small!" Ariel told him. "But thanks."

          He nodded.

          "Just face it, you are tiny..." Sarah said, pulling the arrow out of her sleeve.

          Ariel hopped down and stuck her tongue out at Sarah.

          "Why did you do that?" Frodo asked Ariel as she sat down next to him at the foot of the stairs.

          "Well, she forgot about her books, didn't she?" she grinned.

          Frodo shook his head.

          And so, the five of them continued their conversations as Sam, Merry, and Pippin came into view in the window next to the entrance.


	6. An Eventful Dinner

Chapter 6: An Eventful Dinner 

          Kaysie sighed. The past two days had been crazy. First, Legolas had asked to escort her to the upcoming banquet (which she accepted) and then Sarah showed up out of nowhere. Kaysie smiled to herself, remembering the events that had followed the little 'bed incident' as she liked to call it.

          "Are you thirsty?" asked a voice.

          Kaysie, somewhat startled, turned around. There, standing before her, was Legolas.

          "What?" Kaysie asked him.

          "I asked if you were thirsty," Legolas replied.

          "Oh, um... no. But, thank you," Kaysie smiled sheepishly.

          "What were you thinking of?" Legolas asked Kaysie.

          "Just about what happened earlier with Sarah," she replied.

          Legolas grinned and then laughed softly.

          "Yes, that was quite... amusing," he said. "Do you three always act that way?"

          "Pretty much," said Kaysie. "I'm the sanest one of all."

          "Sure you are," said a voice from behind her.

          Legolas easily looked over Kaysie's shoulder. An amused smile formed on his perfectly chiseled features. Kaysie turned to see that Frodo and Ariel had joined her and Legolas. Kaysie raised her eyebrows at Ariel.

          "And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked her.

          "Exactly what I said," replied Ariel. "You are far from sane. In fact, you're as crazy as the rest of us."

          Kaysie opened her mouth to reply but finding no words to respond with she quickly closed it. After a moment, she just sighed and threw her arms up in defeat.

          "Fine. You win," she said. "I'm as crazy as you are."

          "That's right you are... hey, wait a minute! What...?" Ariel was cut off by Legolas.

          "So how has your evening faired so far?" he asked Frodo and Ariel.

          "It has been going well," replied Frodo with a small smile. "And yours?"

          "Very well, in fact. Though it has not been easy avoiding my father. I'm afraid that I have had to drag Kaysie out onto the dance floor four times already," replied Legolas.

          "Your father?" asked Kaysie. "You did not tell me that he was here. Why don't you want to talk to him?"

          "Well, um... It's complicated," replied Legolas after a moment. He had a grim expression on his face.

          "Oh, okay," said Kaysie.

          Frodo started another conversation but Kaysie wasn't listening. Instead, she was looking at the many faces of the crowd around her. It was the night of the banquet and there were hundreds of people crowded in the grand hall: some hobbits, others elves, a few dwarves, and the rest men. Far off in the corner of the room were Merry, Pippin, and Sam, along with Sarah. The hobbits seemed to have taken a liking to Sarah and now the four were merrily talking and enjoying themselves. Kaysie thought back to earlier that day when she, Ariel, and Sarah had met the three charming hobbits for the first time.

_~~~Flashback~~~_

Frodo, Ariel, Kaysie, Legolas, and Sarah were sitting at the foot of the stairs talking more civilized than they had been moments ago, when through the window nearest them, they saw three approaching figures- or hobbits to be more exact.

"They're here," exclaimed Frodo.

He got up from the step that he was sitting on and ran to the front entrance. He threw open the grand doors and raced out side.

Once outside, Frodo ran up to his friends and the four hobbits embraced in a group hug. When the hug ended, they joined Legolas, Ariel, and Kaysie who were standing a little way off. They hadn't wanted to break up the little reunion.

"Hello, young hobbits," said Legolas with a warm smile when they were all together. "It has been far too long."

"Aye, it has," answered Merry.

"Yes," added Pippin. "But it must not seem long for you, Legolas. After all, you're an elf. You live forever."

"That may be so," replied Legolas. "But it has been many a year since I saw you last. Only until recent events, I hadn't a good laugh in a while."

At that, Pippin smiled proudly while Sarah, Kaysie, and Ariel's cheeks turned red in embarrassment knowing that Legolas was referring to their little outburst. Frodo also smiled, knowing what Legolas was talking about. After a moment, Sam cleared his throat.

"I don't believe we've introduced," he said gesturing to Sarah, Ariel, and Kaysie.

"Oh," said Frodo. "This is Ariel, Kaysie, and Sarah." He pointed to each of them in turn.

"Hello," said the three friends.

"You do know who Merry, pippin, and Sam are already, don't you?" asked Legolas.

His answer came in nods indicating that they indeed knew who the hobbits were. This however confused Merry, Pippin, and Sam and so Kaysie, Sarah, and Ariel had to tell them their stories. The seven companions stayed like that: all talking under the rapidly dimming sky until guests for the banquet started arriving and then they went inside to enjoy the night.

_~~~End Flashback~~~_

          Kaysie continued to peer through the crowd until her eyes fell upon a tall, blonde elf that was talking with Aragorn. On his head was a golden crown made of what seemed like leaves. He seemed proud and had a kingly air around him. After a moment, Kaysie saw Aragorn point in their direction. The tall elf smiled at Aragorn and then turned and walked toward them. Kaysie gasped. He looked just like Legolas, only older. Kaysie glanced at Legolas and tapped him on the shoulder. He looked at her.

          "What is it?" he asked.

          "Um… I think that your father is coming," said Kaysie pointing at the tall advancing elf.

          Legolas along with Ariel and Frodo followed Kaysie's gaze until they saw who she was talking about. Legolas rolled his eyes in frustration. He made to leave but Frodo grabbed his arm and would not let go. Before long, the elf was upon them. He looked at Legolas and smiled warmly.

          "Hello, my son," he said to him.

          "Father," Legolas acknowledged.

          "It has been too long since I have seen you last and even longer since you have seen the trees of Mirkwood," said the king.

          Legolas did not say anything, only nodded. There was an odd silence and then Legolas looked at Kaysie who smiled uneasily at him.

          "Father," said Legolas. "I would like to introduce you to the Lady Kaysie."

          Legolas' father looked surprised for a moment and then his face lit up with happiness.

          "It is a pleasure it meet you, my dear," he said.

          "And you also, my lord," replied Kaysie bowing slightly. She was well aware that this was Lord Thranduil, king of Mirkwood.

          "I am glad you have begun to look for a wife," Thranduil said to Legolas.

          "It is not like that, atar (father)," answered Legolas quickly. Kaysie was blushing furiously and Frodo and Ariel were laughing quietly.

          "I see," said the king. "Well, then who might this young hobbit be?" he asked changing the subject.

          "This is Ariel," said Frodo joining the conversation.

          "A pleasure to meet you," smiled Thranduil.

          "Nice to meet you too," said Ariel.

          Everyone lapsed into silence again and shifted on their feet uncomfortably.

          "So…ah, Kaysie Greenleaf. Sounds nice," said Ariel after a moment.

          This took everyone off guard. Legolas looked down at the floor and then slowly lifted his head to look at Kaysie. Her cheeks were very red and the look she was giving Ariel was making Ariel very nervous.

          "Is that so?" Kaysie asked her angrily. "Well then if Kaysie Greenleaf sounds good then what about Ariel Baggins?"

          Frodo's eyes widened in shock as Ariel replied.

          "I think it sounds good," she said.

          "You do?" asked Frodo before Kaysie could reply.

          Ariel's eyes widen slightly and her cheeks turned dangerously red. She had said her thoughts out loud.

          "I…I…um…" Ariel put her head down. It was Legolas and Kaysie's turn to laugh.

          "Mmm…mm," the king cleared his throat.

          Legolas and Kaysie immediately got quiet while Ariel and Frodo looked at the king expectantly. He turned to Legolas.

          "So I have not seen your brother here tonight. Was he not invited?"

          "Look, there is Lord Elrond," said Legolas changing the subject. "I'm sure that he would like to speak with you."

          "Legolas," said Thranduil. "Do not change the subject. I want to know where he…" he was cut off.

          "I don't have a brother," Legolas snapped raising his voice slightly.

          "Now, Legolas, I know how you feel but honestly you can't keep acting this way."

          Legolas took a deep breath and held back a snide remark. Instead, he turned to Kaysie.

          "Would you care to dance?" he asked her softly.

          "I would love to," Kaysie replied deciding that it would help calm Legolas and herself down.

          Legolas smiled down at her and extended his hand to her. Kaysie accepted it and Legolas led her onto the dance floor. The music was calming and the dance was slow. Legolas placed one arm around Kaysie's waist and held her hand with the other. Kaysie rested her free arm around Legolas' shoulder. They danced like this for some time until Kaysie finally gathered enough courage to ask the question that had been nagging at her mind. She took her head off of its place on Legolas' chest and looked at him. He looked questioningly at her.

          "Legolas, what was your father talking about? About a brother?"

          "I hope that you do not take this to offence," Legolas said quietly. "But I would rather not talk about it."

          Kaysie looked at Legolas but did not say anything. His face held no expression but his piercing blue eyes seemed to be pleading with her. Kaysie nodded slightly and then put her head back in its current resting place.

          When the song was over Legolas and Kaysie went over to the long table that had been set up against the wall. The top was piled high with all sorts of magnificent foods. They both began filling their plates but did not get the chance to finish. The two elves' attention were distracted when a commotion of noise and loud laughing reached their ears. Legolas and Kaysie put down their plates and went to find the source of the commotion. In the corner of the large room, they found what they were looking for.

          Merry and Pippin were standing on a table singing or trying to at least. There voices were slurred and in each of their hands was a mug no doubtly filled with ale. Sarah was standing off to the corner laughing hysterically obviously enjoying the hobbit's little charade while Sam was sitting in a nearby chair with his head in his hands muttering. Frodo and Ariel were also there; only they were trying to get the drunk hobbits to get off the table. A crowd had gathered and was getting bigger by the minute. Just then Merry slipped on a piece of fruit and fell into Pippin. They both fell off the table. Frodo knelt down beside them as did Legolas. Merry was knocked unconscious and Pippin was holding his head in his hands. Meanwhile Sam was silently cursing the hobbits out.

          When Legolas finally got Pippin on his feet, the crowd began to decrease, everyone going about their business. Aragorn walked up to them suddenly. He looked at the drunk hobbits and sighed.

          "Legolas," he said. "Help me get them to their rooms."

          Legolas nodded and then picked up Merry as if he were as light as a feather. Pippin began to sway back and forth and if it wasn't for Aragorn he would have fallen on his face. Aragorn led Pippin through the crowd and Legolas began to follow but then stopped and turned back to Kaysie.

          "I will be back in a moment," he said.

          "Alright," said Kaysie. "I'll wait for you here."

          Legolas nodded and then left. Servants had come and were picking up the mess that the hobbits had made. Kaysie turned to Ariel.

          "Well that was interesting," she said sarcastically.

          "Very," answered Ariel dryly.

          "I thought it was funny," spoke up Sarah.

          "You would," said Ariel.

          "Funny!" exclaimed Sam suddenly. "Those two are always getting into trouble. Even back home, in The Shire they are like that. Everyone in this room probably thinks that all hobbits are as foolish as they are."

          "Don't worry, Sam," said Frodo. "I'm pretty sure that everyone in this room either laughed at Merry and Pippin or just looked the other way."

          "I hope you're right, Mr. Frodo," replied Sam. "I hope you're right."

          "Of course he's right," said Ariel cheerfully. "I don't think anyone here tonight has anything bad to say about any hobbits."

          "Yeah. So don't worry," added Sarah.

          "I suppose you're all right," said Sam and then added. "I think I'm just gonna go get something to eat. Will you come with me Sarah?"

          "Umm… okay," said Sarah.

          The two friends walked off leaving Frodo, Ariel, and Kaysie alone. They didn't really say anything but instead watched what was going on around the room. Before long a lively song was played and Frodo asked Ariel to dance.

          "But what about Kaysie?" she asked.

          "Don't worry about me. I'm waiting for Legolas," said Kaysie.

          "But…"

          "Go," exclaimed Kaysie.

          "Please?" asked Frodo.

          "Well, I'm not really much of a dancer," stated Ariel.

          "Neither am I," Kaysie told her. "And yet I've danced five times. It's not hard. You just sorta move with the music."

          "That's easy for you to say!" said Ariel. "You're an elf for crying out loud. Elves are graceful. They're supposed to be good dancers."

          "Just try it," said Kaysie.

          Ariel looked at Frodo. He had a sad puppy dog look on his face. She was going to refuse again but found that she could not resist Frodo's sad eyes.

          "Okay," agreed Ariel after a moment. Frodo smiled widely.

          "Terrific," he said. "Let's go."

          Frodo took Ariel's hand and led her to the dance floor. Ariel looked back over her shoulder at Kaysie who smiled encouragingly at her. Ariel rolled her eyes and followed Frodo. Kaysie remained by herself in the corner and waited for Legolas who appeared a couple of minutes later.

          "Thank you for waiting for me," said a voice behind Kaysie. She turned around.

          "Legolas! I didn't even hear you come up behind me."

          "I apologize, my lady," came Legolas' quiet response.

          "It's alright," smiled Kaysie.

          "Where are Frodo and Ariel?" asked Legolas.

          "Dancing."

          "And Sam and Sarah?"

          "Eating."

          "Ah," Legolas sighed. "And what are we doing?"

          "Talking," answered Kaysie.

          "About anything in particular?"

          "Actually I was wondering about something," said Kaysie.

          "And what would that be?" Legolas asked.

          "Well I have seen everyone tonight except for Gandalf and Gimli. Where are they?"

          "Gimli could not make it tonight but he will be here in a few days," explained Legolas. "And as for Gandalf. I saw him earlier today. Where he is now, I do not know. As a wizard, he has many responsibilities and comes and goes often."

          "It must be interesting to be a wizard," said Kaysie.

          "Yes but I would prefer to be an elf," admitted Legolas.

          "You're already an elf," pointed out Kaysie.

          "And I plan to keep it that way," Legolas grinned.

          "So how are Merry and Pippin doing?" still smiling at Legolas' last comment.

          "Well Pippin was pretty groggy when Aragorn brought him to his room and probably will sleep until breakfast is served tomorrow and Merry was still unconscious when I put him in his bed. I am fairly sure that he will have a headache in the morning."

          "Perhaps we should tell Aragorn to have guards keep an eye on those two. It might keep them out of trouble," Kaysie suggested.

          Legolas and Kaysie broke out into another fit of laughter. They carried on like this until suddenly Legolas' body went rigid. He was staring at the entrance way. Kaysie followed his gaze and her eyes widen in pure shock. She couldn't believe who she saw standing just inside the entrance.

          "It can't be," thought Kaysie. "Can it?"


	7. Unexpected Guests

Chapter 7: Unexpected Guests 

          Ley woke in an unfamiliar room, like she had for the past few days. She dressed, in an elvish tunic of medium green that had poofy sleeves and wood brown pants. Negolas had been kind enough to provide some decent clothing for her, from where they came from Ley wasn't going to ask either.

          While in Middle-Earth she had met Negolas- a double of Legolas, was able to stay with Negolas in his extra room, and who knew what this day would bring.

          She walked out of her room and saw Negolas standing in front of an open window, an open letter on the window ceil.

          "Lady Ley. We have been invited to a banquet being held in Gondor. Gandalf said everyone but Gimili would be there," Negolas said as she walked into the room.

          "Please don't call me Lady," Ley said looking at Negolas over her shoulder, "But what I don't get is how did Gandalf know about me?"

          "Well, the invitation said I could bring a guest. Would you like to go with me? It's about ten days away on horse, and that will be when the banquet will be held."

          "So we'll be fashionably late," Ley said with a grin. "Even if  I don't have the slightest bit of fashion sense," Ley laughed slightly and when Negolas turned around to face her she had sat down at the table; he joined her.

          "We would have to leave Fornost before next morn's sunrise."

          "Morn! As in morning, uh… maybe we should just stay here in Fornost," ley's eyes widen. She hated getting up early, but if Negolas wanted to go to this banquet, she was going too. "I'll go if you go."

          Negolas nodded, "You would have to know how to ride."

          "Ride?"

          "You don't expect us to walk to Gondor, do you? Arriving by horse would allow us to arrive sooner."

          "I know how to sit on a horse. Does that count as being able to ride?" Ley had been keeping eye contact on Negolas, until now. Ley had entered a dream, which she never wanted to leave.

          Negolas couldn't help but smile. "We would have to travel with speed."

          "This banquet is in ten days, and you're just now getting it?"

          "Indeed, yet it was delivered late. The invitation was to be sent by… someone else." His words were soft at the end of his sentence. Something was troubling him, Ley could tell.

          "I have two people in mind who could be the one who should of sent it to you, but I believe more that it was Legolas that should of sent it!"

          Negolas nodded and slid the letter over to her. Ley could read the elvish, she just didn't know how. The beginning of the letter was boring, only telling of the banquet and when it is to be held. When she got towards the end of it the handwriting had changed and it read:

_Negolas,_

          Sorry to allow this reach you at such short notice but this invitation was supposed to be sent some time ago. Seem your "brother" forgot to send this. But everyone would be delighted to see you, please try to come.

Gandalf the White

P.S. – We have some new friends at the castle.

          "Your 'brother', I take, would be Legolas?"

          Negolas nodded, "May we please not talk about that subject any longer?"

          "I understand," she told him. "Uhh… so what are we going to do about learning to ride a horse?"

          "I can show you."

          Ley blushed bright red.

          Negolas showed Ley how to properly ride a horse from morning until dusk. When the sun had set, Ley could ride fairly well. Negolas suggested that they go to sleep so they could wake up early.

          Negolas knocked on the door, not wanting to intrude, he didn't enter. Ley woke a little groggy, the window was open, and it was still dark outside. She dressed quickly, and she and Negolas left for Gondor.

          The ten days passed rather quickly and before Ley knew it, they were on a Gondor hill, overlooking a beautifully lit castle.

          Ley could see many figures gather around one corner and she could hear laughter, beautiful pipes, and soft strings.

          "Negolas, is it formal in there?" Ley finally asked as they dismounted from their horses.

          "I would believe so, it is a castle," he put out a hand for her to take, she took it, no hesitation, and blushed at the same time.

          The two walked up to the entrance. The two guards standing on either side of the door crossed spears. Ley jumped, but Negolas handed them the invitation he had received. The guards nodded, lifted their spears, and then opened the doors.

          It was almost as beautiful as the scenery Ley saw while traveling through Middle-Earth. The crowd that Ley had seen earlier by the corner had disappeared.

          The smell of food made Ley's stomach growl slightly. Couples were dancing in the middle of the dancing floor, some people ate near one of the walls, and other people chatted along another wall.

          Negolas bent down close to Ley's ear. "Would you like to meet Lord Aragorn?"

          "It would be a pleasure," she replied.

          He led her through the crowds, but not by the hand.

          They approached a man with his back turned. His hair was a dark brown. And almost as if he knew they were behind him, he turned and faced them.

          "Legolas!" he said, and then realized the two elves' expressions changed what he had said. "Negolas! I am terribly sorry. I thought you were your brother-" He was cut off by Ley's yelp of pain.

          Ley was holding her arm and glaring at a young elf, who was glaring back.

          "What are you doing here!" Kaysie yelled putting her hands on her hips.

          "What was that for, Kaysie!" Ley yelled. "We were invited," Ley jumped behind Negolas and looked at Kaysie who had been joined by Legolas. Kaysie and Ley both shared shocked expressions.

          "What's he doing here?" they said as one, Kaysie referring to Negolas and Ley referring to Legolas.

          Aragorn put his arms out and separated the two bickering elves. "Come now, it seems you two know one another, why argue about anything?"

          Just then, Ariel ran by when she saw the "little" situation.

          "Oooh…tense moment," Ariel stopped behind Kaysie and when Ariel looked up she saw Ley, who was paying attention to whatever Aragorn was saying.

          Ariel didn't pay attention to what Aragorn was saying. She was just shocked seeing Ley.

          "Ley, it's you! I mean, Ley you're here!" Ariel finally exclaimed.

          Ley looked down and saw Ariel! For the first time, Ley was looking down at Ariel.

          "Ariel! You're a hobbit now!" Ley shook her head, then bent down and whispered in Ariel's ear, "I can't ask Kaysie, but please tell me Sarah's not here."

          Ariel nodded. "She's here alright. She ands Sam went to get something to eat."

          "Why do you keep looking over your shoulder over and over again?" Ley straightened up.

          "It's Frodo. He wants me to dance again." Ariel looked at Negolas, then Legolas. "Wait, there are two Legolas', and they look mad," Ariel pointed out.

          Kaysie and Ley both turned around, Kaysie had been smirking at Ariel. Kaysie turned to Legolas and Ashley to Negolas.

          They were glowering at one another.

          "Umm…maybe we should go try and find Sam and Sarah, Negolas. Pardon us, Lord Aragorn," Ley turned Negolas by the shoulder. Ley started pushing him in the back gently.

          "I'm confused, I thought there was only one Legolas," Ariel said.

          Kaysie just kept looking from the disappearing Negolas to Legolas, "Wait, how can? I mean two of Legolas?"

          "Maybe we should ask her later," Ariel replied as Frodo walked up.

          "Looks like something big happened," Frodo said finally finding where Ariel had gone to.


	8. Sarah's New Friend

Chapter 8: Sarah's New Friend 

          Sarah was standing by a table, looking around as Sam stuffed his face. Sarah was still running her fingers over the pointy part of her ear while she was checking out her "once familiar" long hair. She still couldn't believe that she was finally an elf.

          "Wamm smm?" Sam asked with his mouth full.

          "Excuse me?" Sarah said.

          Sam swallowed, "I said, 'want some?'" Sam said, holding a delicious looking plate of food.

          "Umm…okay, why not," Sarah said, taking the plate from Sam.

          Sarah and Sam were stuffing their faces. Sarah glanced up and saw none other than… Ley.

          Sarah started to choke on what she was eating. Suddenly, she found two pairs of hands and her stomach trying to do the Heimlich.

          "Ara…Merry? Pippin?" Sarah coughed.

          "Yes, feel the air in your lungs!" Merry added.

          "I'm fine! You can let go now," Sarah said. She suddenly looked up, realizing everyone was staring at her, and saw Ley running towards her.

          "Sarah!" Ley yelled.

          "Oh great!" Sarah said as she started to run away from Ley. In fact, it wasn't easy to run at all. Sam had loaned Sarah some of his clothes. Well, the pants were more like capri's, and well the shirt fit perfectly. Anyway, Sarah was running while listening to the voices in her head. 'Fire! Fire! Fire! Leprechauns!'

          "Leprechauns?!" Sarah answered the voices in her head. The next thing she knew, she slammed right into Lady Arwen.

          "Oh my God! Lady Arwen! I'm so sorry!" Sarah said.

          "Why were you running?" Arwen asked, helping Sarah up.

          "Oh my God! You're my idol! Can I have your autograph? … Will you adopt me?! PLEASE!" Sarah begged, jumping up and down.

          "I…um…" Arwen said.

          "Sarah! Stop harassing Lady Arwen," Kaysie said.

          "Yeah! All she needs now is a 'fan' like you following her around," Ley said.

          "Yeah…hey, haven't I seen a set of clothes like those before?" Ariel wondered.

          "Those are Sam's clothes," Frodo said.

          "Sarah! What have you been doing to Sam?" Ariel asked suspiciously.

          "Ew! Don't say that!" Sarah said.

          Just then, Aragorn came out of nowhere, accompanied by a very cute elf.

          "Hello ladies. I have a job for whoever wants to volunteer," Aragorn said.

          "What is it?" Kaysie asked.

          "I would like one of you to show this elf around. His name is Edro Mellon," Aragorn added.

          "I'll take him!" Sarah said quickly.


	9. Home Again

Chapter 9: Home Again 

          "Poor elf, doesn't know Sarah well enough to tell she only acts crazy," Ariel whispered to Kaysie and Ley.

          "But we know her well and we still think she _is_ crazy," Kaysie said.

          "Oh yeah," Ariel replied.

          The three of them grinned as a very giddy Sarah walked off with her new "friend". Then, Ley and Kaysie noticed each other, and glared. Little thunderbolts shot from their eyes.

          "Maybe it's time to skedaddle," Ariel said to Frodo.

          "What?"

          "Uh…go, leave, save ourselves from this little war," she explained.

          "Oh," he said.

          They looked up at the two elven girls, and then they noticed Negolas and Legolas showing some hostility towards each other. After a short, tense moment the elves parted to opposite sides of the room.

          "…or maybe not…" she said, blinking.

          "Whatever conflicts they have, I hope they will be able to resolve them," Frodo said.

          "So what exactly happened? I mean, why am I seeing two Legolases?"

          "Rather and odd story actually," he began. "You see, one day when Gandalf came for a visit he left his staff carelessly in another room, other than the one he was in."

          "Yikes… and I assume someone messed with it."

          "Yes, I'm afraid Pippin is quite fond of discovering new things. Discovering how to use Gandalf's staff really would have made his day, but alas, he would not listen to any of us. So, he accidentally knocked over the staff, releasing a ray of magic, which so happened to hit Legolas.

          "When the light disappeared, we then saw an exact copy of him standing to his right…or was it his left? Well anyway, they think so much alike, but for some reason, they dislike each other. You'd suppose Negolas and Legolas would act like brothers."

          "That's right," Ariel said. "You've never had any siblings. Well, if you did experience having one then you would understand why they act the way they do. But, I think, deep down inside, they really care for each other."

          "Then, perhaps you are right," Frodo replied.

          "Of course I am! Hey… weren't Merry and Pippin upstairs just a few minutes ago?" Ariel asked.

          "They were…" Frodo sighed.

          He walked towards them and Ariel followed. Merry and Pippin grinned as they approached.

          "Ah, Frodo-" Merry began.

          "Nice show you put on this evening. Anything else to top your performance tonight?" he said sarcastically.

          "Ouch, Frodo. Ouch," Pippin said.

          "Have you ever considered cutting back on drinking?" Ariel asked as Pippin sipped from the glass he was holding.

          "Are you mad?" Merry asked.

          "Shhh…you'll hurt its feelings!" Pippin said, caressing the glass.

          "The drink talks to you?" Ariel asked.

          "Alright, you've both had enough!" Frodo said. "Now, hand me that…" He grabbed the glass from Pippin and set it on a nearby table.

          "…Man… I've got a terrible headache…" Merry complained.

          "I can't feel my head," Pippin said.

          "You mean just now?" Or have you never realized your head is constantly numb," Merry said.

          "See, this is a perfect example of 'brotherly love'," Ariel explained to Frodo.

          "But we're not brothers," Pippin said.

          "Thank goodness for that," Merry sighed.

          "I think I understand now," Frodo laughed.

          Both hobbits just stood there, holding their heads, and looking nauseated.

          _Hobbits with hangovers,_ Ariel said to herself.

          "Pippin!" Ley called out.

          Pippin and the others looked over and saw Ley running over to them.

          "Oh my God! Pippin, you're such a little genius," she said, kneeling down.

          "Really?" he said, shocked at her words. "What did I do?"

          "Ley, please don't freak Pippin out," Ariel said.

          Ignoring Ariel, she continued, "You cloned Legolas!"

          "Oh! I'msosorryIcouldn'thelpbutitwasjustsittinghteresoshinybutIdin'tmeantodo-anythingtohim!" he said very fast.

          "What did he say?" Merry asked.

          Frodo shrugged.

          "If you are ever in danger, I promise to do everything possible to protect you!" Ley said.

          "Uh…" was his reply.

          Kaysie walked over and noticed Pippin.

          "Pippin! What did you do to Legolas?!"

          "Uh-oh…" Ariel said.

          "Hey! Leave Pippin alone," Ley said.

          "Not until I find out why he did it!"

          "Even if he told you, you wouldn't understand him," Merry said.

          "What's going on?" Sam asked as he walked over.

          "How could he do that to Legolas?!" Kaysie said.

          "Oh…they found out then," Sam said.

          "Perhaps it would be best if Merry and Pippin retire for the evening," Frodo suggested.

          "Come on you two," Sam said, escorting the two hobbits upstairs.

          Kaysie and Ley noticed that they were standing next to each other, and then stormed off.

          "Good move," Ariel said to Frodo.

          "Thanks," he said.

          Later on that evening, a group of dwarves arrived, along with a very familiar character. When Gimli spotted Legolas and Negolas, his first reply was, "So now I have two of you to compete with!"

          Aragorn had begun to worry.

          "The night is almost over, and yet Gandalf still has not arrived."

          Ariel had overheard this and asked Frodo, "Where do you think Gandalf is?"

          Frodo did not respond right away. Then he said, "I…do not know… h-he comes and goes when he pleases."

          "Oh…okay…" Ariel blinked.

          "Never mind Gandalf," Frodo began. "No doubt he will arrive soon."

          _Is it just me, or did Frodo not answer that very well,_ Ariel thought.

          "Ariel, I'm terribly sorry, but I must go speak with Aragorn."

          "That's alright," she lied. _I don't want to be by myself. Must go find the others…_

          Ariel began her little quest, and started scanning through the crowds. She first spotted Negolas talking to Gimli.

          _Ley or Kaysie must be close by, _she thought as she walked up to them.

          "Why have you arrived so early, Master Dwarf? They said that you were not expected until next week," Ariel heard Negolas say.

          "I had met up with Gandalf along the way. He urged my company to make haste on our journey so that we would be in time for-" Gimli noticed Ariel walking in their direction.

          "Excuse me, uh," she looked up, trying to figure out if it was Legolas standing there or Negolas, "…sirs…do you know where either Kaysie, Ley, or Sarah are?"

          "Well, little one, the quiet maiden with the light hair is currently searching for you," Gimli said.

          "And Ley is with the Lady Sarah. Ley had wanted to know her way around the castle also," Negolas said.

          "Okay, thanks!" she said, and began searching again. _Kaysie must have heard something too…_

          But, to her dismay, Kaysie was nowhere to be found.

          _I hate my luck…well, if I keep moving around and Kaysie keeps moving around, we'll never find each other, _Ariel reasoned to herself.

          She had given up on her search and decided it would be best to share this information with the others when she knew more about what she heard. Ariel had begun to feel very tired and wanted to go to bed. She left the room without a trace (for hobbits are known well to do so) and headed upstairs.

          She recalled the path she had memorized to her room: up one flight of stairs, head to the right, and then eleven doors down on the left. When she reached the top of the stairs and walked a few feet down the hall, she saw a large window, which gave her the view from the side of the castle.

          Not once could she remember herself wanting to explore anything so badly. _Tomorrow,_ she thought, _will be the day then…_

          She walked closer to the window. Her head barely made it past the ledge. She turned around and sat down in front of it, and placed her head on her knees.

          _Wonder how everyone at home is doing? Mom, dad, my brother, my dog, my cat, my fish…well, I'm sure my fish are fine… Aron, Brittany, Amber, wonder what they're up to? Do they even know I'm gone…_

          Sleep had begun to settle in, but a voice was heard, as if it was far away.

          "Ariel…"

          She lifted her head and blinked her vision to normal.

          "Hi Frodo," she said.

          "Are you alright?" he asked, sitting next to her.

          "Yeah, I'm fine. I think I'm homesick. This is the longest I've ever been from home and my family."

          They sat in silence for a moment. Ariel leaned over and placed her head on Frodo's shoulder.

          "Do you really think Gandalf found a way for us to get home?" she asked as she fell asleep.

          Frodo sighed and simply said, "You are home."

***

          Ariel woke up and scratched her head. She somehow ended up in the room in which she had been staying. She looked around, and remembered what happened the night before. A smile appeared on her face.

          She hopped out of bed and yawned. The sun had not fully risen. When staying at new places, she would always have trouble sleeping, even when she was little.

          Ariel opened up her door and looked up and down the hallway. The place was eerily quiet, as if all the noise from last night had been sucked into a vacuum. She headed down stairs, in search for another living person.

          _Kaysie, Ley, and Sarah must have not awakened yet,_ she figured.

          Ariel walked to the hall on the ground floor and saw Aragorn talking quickly, and quietly, to some of his men. She thought it would be best if she went back into her room and waited for everyone else to wake up.

          Back in her room, she had come up with a plan.

          _The sun is almost out and everyone will be up soon. I should sneak out now so that no one will see me._

          Ariel opened up her window and looked down.

          _I must be at least twenty, or more, feet up from the ground,_ she thought. _There's no way I can climb all the way down there._

          She left her room once more, this time looking for a storage room of some sort. One, three, five, twelve, rooms she looked into. Nothing…just empty rooms.

          _Man, they can open up a bed and breakfast or something with all these rooms…_

          One last room… It was the last one she decided to look in. Slowly, the door opened to reveal: a room full of bedding materials! Sheets! Yes, she would tie sheets together and use it as a rope. She gathered as many as she could carry and walked down the hallway.

          "May I ask where are you going with all those sheets?"

          Ariel shifted the sheets from in front of her face. She saw that it was Sam.

          "Uh…I got cold?"

          "And you need all those sheets?"

          "Maybe…"

          "Other people may need those, mind you."

          "It's not like I'm going to burn them or anything. I-"

          "Sam! Ariel! What are you doing out here?" Frodo asked, walking up to them.

          Sam turned around. "I caught her stealing sheets."

          "Stealing?! No! I was not! I was just going to barrow them!" She set them down.

          "And what were you going to barrow them for?" Frodo asked.

          "Well, okay. Here's the truth, the truth is… I was going to use them as rope so I could sneak out of the castle," she said.

          "But why?" Sam asked.

          "Call me crazy but… this life, staying in such a large place… fancy banquets, being proper, and all… it's not who I am. And I need to see more than just these stone walls. Do you see what I'm saying?" Ariel reasoned.

          "You're not a prisoner here. You could have said something," Frodo said.

          "And anyway, sheets hardly pass as rope! I've brought real rope with me," Sam said.

          "Huh? So… you're letting me go?" Ariel asked. Her confusion was obvious.

          Frodo and Sam looked at each other, and then to Ariel, with smiles on their faces.

          "And we're coming with you, of course," Frodo said, nodding.

          "Do you honestly think we'd let you travel all alone?" Sam asked.

          "Go put these back and we'll go get our things," Frodo said.

          "Okay," Ariel blinked. _That was not what I expected…_

          They met up again shortly, but with two more.

          "Merry and Pippin refuse to be left behind," Frodo told her.

          "Us hobbits have to stick together!" Merry said.

          "Are you sure you're up to traveling?" Ariel asked, referring to last night's little episode.

          "Oh, yes! We're fine. I can feel my head again," Pippin laughed.

          "Well, we should get going now," Sam said.

          The hobbits headed into Ariel's room, and Sam tied the rope securely to the bed and let it fall down the side of the castle. One by one they climbed down the rope. Ariel, who went first, noticed after each one came down, they had swords around their waist.

          "Are those really necessary?" she asked them.

          "You never know. WE might run into some orcs along the way," Merry said.

           Ariel gulped. "Really?"

          "But if we stay within the borders of Gondor, then we should be fine," Frodo reassured her. He turned to Merry and said, "Why did you tell her that?"

          "It was only a joke, Frodo," he replied.

          They traveled for some distance, talking of many things. The sun was shining, and the atmosphere would put a smile on any troll's face. Around eleven, Pippin began to complain of hunger, but silently the others wanted to stop and rest too. Ariel didn't eat, mostly because she wasn't hungry and unaccustomed to the hobbit meal times.

          The hobbits stopped in a clearing surrounded by thriving trees. They pulled out some pans and put together a little fire.

          "Are you not going to eat?" Frodo asked her as the rest of the hobbits began munching away, in their little circle.

          "I'm not that hungry," she said to him.

          "Then more for us!" Pippin grinned.

          Ariel got up to look around for a bit. "I'll be right back," she told them. 

          "Frodo, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," Merry said after awhile.

          "Yes?" Frodo said after making sure Ariel didn't go too far off.

          "Well… seems you've been spending a lot of time with her," he said, lowering his voice.

          "What do you mean?" Frodo asked, half laughing.

          Sam and Pippin leaned in, showing more of their attention.

          "What I mean is… what do you really think of her?" Merry explained.

          "That's really none of your concern, dear cousin," he replied.

          The three of them smirked broadly at this remark.

          "So then Mr. Frodo, if you don't mind me asking, you deny having any sort of feelings for her?" Sam asked.

          "Well, no, but…"

          "Which is it? Yes or no?" Pippin asked.

          Ariel, who had been listening to their conversation this whole time, smiled to herself. Then, she heard a noise in the distance…getting closer.

          "Ah… do you guys hear that?" she said aloud.

          They paused and listened for a moment.

          "Sounds like… hoof beats…. A horse and a rider, perhaps," Sam said.

          Frodo didn't like the sound of this situation and said, "We should hide."

          Sam hid behind a nearby tree after putting out the fire. Merry and Pippin each found their own tree to hide behind. Frodo ran over to Ariel, grabbed her by the wrist, and led her to a hiding place behind another tree.

          The figure came into the clearing after some time. He was cloaked in all white, and had a white pointed hat.

          "Since when do four hobbits willingly travel so far away from the Shire out of pure enjoyment?" he asked.

          "Gandalf!" Frodo cried, coming out of hiding.

          The others did the same, and came forth.

          "You have miscounted, though," Frodo said to him.

          "Oh?" Gandalf said briskly.

          "There are five of us now," he finished.

          "So I see! A young, hobbit-lass, forgive me. What, may I ask, are you doing way out here?" Gandalf asked. "I thought you had already reached the castle by now."

          "It was my idea, actually," Ariel said, finding the courage to speak up.

          "Wanted a bit of an outing, then? Well, don't worry, my dear, there will be plenty of time for that later. But now you are needed back at the castle. Come, we must make haste!" he said.

          "Why do we have to go back so quickly?" Ariel asked. It seemed she was the only one who didn't understand fully.

          "There's no time to explain now. I will clarify everything to you, and to everyone else," Gandalf replied with an authority.

          They began to walk back to the castle. Gandalf, along the way, asked Ariel many questions. Some, for example, were: where did she come from, and what she knew of this world. When they arrived back at the castle, it seemed as if everyone was waiting for them.

          Gandalf led them, as if he had been here many times, to a room that looked as if it had never been occupied. No windows, and not one coat of paint. Many torches that circled around the room lighted it. Kaysie, Legolas, Ley, Negolas, Sarah, Edro, Gimli, Arwen, and Aragorn were already waiting inside. Ariel could tell they waned to know where she and the other hobbits went. But with Gandalf in the room, all that seemed less important.

          "Now that mostly everyone who should be here is, let us go ahead and get this started."


	10. The Prophecy

Chapter 10: The Prophecy 

          Frodo, Ariel, Merry, Pippin, and Sam took seats around the room while Gandalf went and stood by a wall in thought. No one said anything and Kaysie was starting to get impatient. Legolas sensed this and was about to ask Gandalf when this meeting would start (for he already knew what it was about) when the door opened. It was Elrond.

          Elrond nodded to everyone as Gandalf turned away from the wall to look at him.

          "Elrond," Gandalf greeted.

          "Gandalf," replied Elrond. "I do apologize for being late but I had other matters to attend to first."

          "It is quite alright," answered Gandalf. "But now we must begin for I'm sure we all have other things that we would rather be doing now." His gaze fell upon the couples in the room and a small smile played on his lips.

          Elrond caught on to this and said, "I see. Well then. To start with I would like to say that I am both pleased and honored to meet you, Sarah, Ariel, Kaysie, and Ley; and also I would like to answer the question that I'm sure has been plaguing your minds: Has a way home been found for you? And this is it…"

          Elrond gestured to Gandalf who was in the center of the room laying papers out on a table. He motioned for everyone to gather around. Everyone obeyed.

          "I believe," said Gandalf to Kaysie, Ariel, Sarah, and Ley, "That this is what you're looking for."

          He lifted a sheet of paper off of the table and handed it to Kaysie who was nearest to him. She took it and glanced at the scrawly writing on it. After a moment she read the paper out loud.

          "'On the night the world's fate is placed in the hands of a company of nine, four shall be born: One, an elf who seems to be one but is many; The second, a child in the eyes of men, a Halfling; The third, one that binds men and elves for eternity; The last, an immortal quick to learn. With their first breath will come their destiny: To defeat an unknown enemy, an heir to the evil that is ever watchful. With friends and the ones that hold their hearts, the four who will vanish and then reappear will fulfill that of which is spoken of to the end'," Kaysie finished reading and looked around at everyone around her. She locked eyes with Legolas for a moment and then looked back at Gandalf. "What does that mean?"

          "Well, you see," he said, "It is a prophecy concerning you and your friends. It is the answers to all… or most of your questions."

          "But, it doesn't say how we're supposed to get home," stated Ley.

          "Ah, but it does," answered Gandalf.

          "But…" Ariel went to say but was cut off by Legolas.

          "The prophecy says, 'the four who will vanish and then reappear'." It means that you four," Legolas pointed to Ley, Kaysie, Sarah, and Ariel and then continued, "left Middle-Earth eighteen years ago and now you have returned. You are home."

          A tense silence filled the room. Gandalf and Elrond were studying Ariel, Kaysie, Sarah, and Ley, who were thinking very hard about what they had just been told. Ariel was the first to say anything.

          "So…you mean that me, Sarah, Kaysie, and Ley are actually from this world?"

          "Ah, so you have solved the puzzle," said Gandalf. "I assume that everyone else has too?"

          Gandalf received his answer in nods from Sarah, Kaysie, and Ley. Gandalf did not say anything else only waited to hear any questions that they might have.

          "Okay, so we are the four in the prophecy. But what does it mean that we will complete our destinies by defeating an unknown enemy?" asked Ley.

          "Well," answered Elrond, "It means that a new enemy, one that we never knew existed is soon to rise and that you four and everyone else in this room, is destined to destroy it."

          "But it is said an heir to the evil that is ever watchful. The only person that I can think of is Sauron. But he never had any children, did he?" questioned Kaysie.

          "Actually," said Elrond, "He did though we never knew about it."

          "How is that possible?" Sarah asked.

          "Well Sauron was not always Sauron; meaning he was not always evil. Once upon a time he was Belegceleb, the son of a wizard and an elf. He lived in Mirkwood or 'Greenwood the Great' as it was known. His father dies when he was only a small boy and then his mother was left to raise him and since Sauron's father was such a great friend of the king, they lived in the palace. Sauron grew to become a strong army general but he wasn't just that but also the king's confident. They were like father and son for a long time… that is until Sauron decided that he wanted power. Disagreements became more and more frequent between the two. Finally Sauron went mad and started practicing the dark arts. He would stop at nothing to gain power. Eventually Sauron tried having the king assassinated but he was caught and banished to Dol Guldor in southern Mirkwood, away from society. Sauron brought with him his wife though against her will. She was frightened for her life and that of her unborn child. She eventually ran from him and after only a few days, Sauron gave up the chase. He never knew that he was a father. His wife lived on her own in a secluded area away from all the societies and raised their child on her on own. The child was a son," Elrond informed them.

          "But what happened to Sauron after that and to his wife and son?" asked Kaysie.

          "Well," said Gandalf. "We know that Sauron eventually fell in with Melkor, the beginning of evil, and then when Melkor was destroyed Sauron gained full power and created the 'Rings' and then the war started. As for his wife and son, we never found out any more about them. They both seemed to disappear after their encounter with an elvish scout, which is how we learned about them in the first place. We've sent many parties out throughout the years to find them but so far it has all been in vain."

          "No, not in vain, my friend," said Elrond. "For nothing we do is ever in vain. It will just take time."

          "Yes, you are right, Elrond," said Gandalf.

          Elrond smiled and hen addressed Sarah, Ley, Ariel, and Kaysie.

          "Is there anything about the prophecy that you would like to know about?" he asked them.

          "Umm, yes," said Ashley. "When it talks about us I know that the first one of us is mentioned is Sarah and the second one is obviously Ariel, but that leaves me and Kaysie. Which line refers to us?"

          "You," said Gandalf to Ley, "Are the last of the four that is mentioned: 'an immortal quick to learn'. And as for Kaysie," Gandalf turned to Kaysie. "You are the third one mentioned: 'one that binds the races of men and elves for eternity'."

          "What does that mean?" asked Kaysie.

          "You are half-elven," spoke up Legolas though he said it quietly.

          Kaysie's eyes widen in shock.

          "Am… am I immortal though?" she stammered.

          "That is for you to decide," answered Elrond. "Though I think that you have already made that choice." His eyes flashed to Legolas and then back at her. Kaysie understood what he meant and nodded. Legolas gave her a small smile also knowing what Elrond meant. Apparently he wasn't the only one that caught on to Kaysie's answer because Ley narrowed her eyes while the other smirked.

          "I have a question," said Ariel. "How did we get sent to Earth?"

          "Ah, now that is quite interesting," said Gandalf. "While I was looking for information on the Ring just before Frodo left the Shire, I came upon a document written in an ancient language. I could only read bits of pieces of it but nonetheless, it caught my interest and so I saved it. While in Rivendell for the Council, I had the writing deciphered. It was the prophecy that you've just read. Since it was only days until the Council, we acted quickly. The Lady of the Wood was contacted and she confirmed it. She sent messengers to your homes, for she saw your births in the Mirror. You four were retrieved with the consent of your parents and brought to Lothlorien, where the Lady opened a portal to Earth, as you call it. You were sent there for your protection."

          "How did we get back?" asked Sarah.

          This time Elrond spoke. "Another portal was created that only you four would be able to find and even then it would only open on the date of your eighteenth birthdays: October 24, 3036."

          "This is weird," said Kaysie.

          "Indeed," said Gandalf with a chuckle. "But true."

          "Who else knows about us?" Ley asked. Negolas was now holding her hand.

          "The only ones who know of you are here in this very room," Gandalf said.

          "Did they all already know about the prophecy?" asked Sarah.

          Gandalf nodded. "The only ones that did not know about it were Negolas and Edro."

          Negolas nodded in agreement.

          The sky outside had started to dim. It was now late in the day and everyone was starting to tire of talking about the prophecy. Elrond cleared his throat.

          "It is getting late," he said. "And I am sure that there are other things that you would all like to do."

          "Yes," agreed Gandalf. "This is enough information for one day."

          "Wait. I still have one more question," said Kaysie. "Are you going to tell others about the prophecy?"

          "We will," answered Elrond. "Tomorrow messengers will be sent to every king, lady, and lord with the information. The only place that the messengers will not go is Lothlorien for the Lady Galadriel already knows of these tidings."

          Kaysie nodded and everyone made for the door.

          Out in the hall, Frodo, Legolas, Ariel, Kaysie, Negolas, Ley, and Sarah gathered together.

          "You know," said Ariel, "There was something I forgot to ask."

          "What?" asked Sarah.

          "What about our families and friends on Earth? Do they even know we're gone?"

          "No," said Frodo. "I asked Gandalf about that myself. Any indication of you ever being alive is gone from Earth."

          "Well, I'll miss them anyway," said Sarah.

          The group of friends lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. Legolas and Negolas were yet to speak to one another and Kaysie and Ley, though they had eventually reached an understanding, were still a little moody towards each other.

          "Dinner will be in just a couple of hours," said Negolas. "Perhaps we should retire till then?"

          "Good idea," said Frodo. He took Ariel's hand. "See you all in a while."

          Frodo led Ariel down the hall and was soon out of sight. The rest of the group dissipated and went their own ways.

          Kaysie found herself walking around outside of the castle instead of in her room. The air was cool and crickets could be heard chirping in the distance. Many thoughts rolled through her mind, most about the prophecy. All of a sudden Kaysie tripped over an upturned tree root. She braced herself for the impact of the hard ground but it never came. Instead, she felt strong hands grasping her shoulders. She turned only to see Legolas. She wasn't surprised it was him.

          "Legolas," said Kaysie with a grin. "You always seem to pop out of nowhere."

          He looked at her confusedly. He didn't understand what she meant by that. Kaysie realized this and corrected herself.

          "I mean you always seem to come out of nowhere."

          "Oh," replied Legolas. "But if I didn't then you would surely get into some sort of trouble."

          "Is that so?" questioned Kaysie with raised eyebrows.

          "Possibly," was all Legolas said. He smiled at her.

          "I think I would get into more trouble in your company than I would alone," Kaysie retorted.

          Legolas laughed softly. "Most-likely," he said.

          Kaysie also laughed softly. She began walking again and Legolas followed her. Together they walked over the drawbridge and into the grassy hills surrounding the castle. After a while they found a spot that gave them a clear view of the castle and the town.

          "During the meeting, when you were discussing your immortality with Elrond; did you mean what you said?" asked Legolas when they were comfortable.

          "What I said?"

          "Yes. When Elrond said it was for you to decide, he looked towards me and then back at you, and you nodded yes."

          Kaysie shifted a little uneasily under Legolas' piercing gaze. She made to say something but stopped. Instead she looked away from Legolas and gazed at the land around them. He was still looking at her.

          "Yes," she simply stated.

          Legolas' face remained expressionless but his blue eyes were gleaming. He moved closer to her and embraced her in his arms. Kaysie leaned into him and at once felt at ease.

          "I think I have met my match," she said with a dry humor.

          "That you have, melamin (my love)."

          Kaysie smiled and snuggled closer to Legolas who tightened his embrace and kissed her forehead.

          "Amin mela lle (I love you)," he said. Kaysie lifted her head and met his eyes. "I know we have only known each other for a couple of weeks," continued Legolas. "But already I feel drawn to you. I cannot explain. You are my soul mate."

          Kaysie's eyes widen. She knew that she and Legolas would be together eventually but this was moving just a bit too fast… wasn't it? Kaysie shrugged mentally as she reminded herself that elves were very serious when it comes to love and could even die of a broken heart. She did not want to see this happen to Legolas so she said what her heart told her to say.

          "I love you, too," Kaysie replied meaning every word.

          Legolas flashed another heart melting smile and hugged Kaysie tightly. They stayed like this until the shrill sound of a horn pierced the air. It was time for dinner. Legolas stood up and then helped Kaysie to her feet. They walked back to the castle to the warm meals awaiting them.

          At dinner no one spoke of the prophecy much to the relief of Ariel, Ley, Sarah, and Kaysie. In fact the dining hall was almost silent which was odd. Not even Merry and Pippin said anything though that could be the cause of their water filled glasses. They had been banned from ale or any other drink along those lines.

          When dessert was being served however, the mood changed. The sudden change was brought on when Merry, being bored, purposely knocked over his glass of water over on the table. The water spilled over the edge and into Gimli's lap. The stout dwarf tried pushing his chair back quickly but only succeeded in knocking it over and tripping over it. Hysterical laughter escaped from Pippin and Merry and then to everyone's surprise, Gimli. Before long laughter could be heard in every corner of the room.

          "It seems," said Gandalf, "That some hobbits will always be drunk no matter what type of drink it is that fills their stomachs."

          Everyone laughed harder at that except Merry and Pippin who didn't understand what Gandalf had meant. It seemed that dinner was not meant to be eaten in silence.


	11. Confessions

Chapter 11: Confessions 

          Ley was the last to wake the next morning. When she got to the breakfast hall Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry were eating and Ariel was just sitting next to Frodo.

          Ley smiled and walked next to Ariel. "Ariel, you seen Negolas anywhere?"

          "Umm… I think he went in the library. Kaysie and Legolas went somewhere, and Sarah and Edro, I wouldn't know," Ariel said looking at Ley.

          "Well I'll go look there." The Ley left.

          She wasn't on hundred percent sure which way but she could guess. She went left and sure enough at the end of the hallway was the library. One of the doors open just so one person could slide in.

          When she was inside the library was creepy. If Ley had been human footsteps could have been heard but her light elven feet barely touched the ground.

          The grand bookcases towered over her, and were filled with different books of all subjects.

          _Two things to say: One, how do they get way up there? Two, I hate history but I would stay awake for history of this world,_ Ley thought to herself.

          As she rounded a bookcase she saw Negolas reading a book.

          "Found you," she said after awhile. He knew she was standing there but he look so cute reading, well that's what she thought.

          "I did not know you had awoken," he said as he closed the book. "Is there a problem?"

          "No, not really. But something has been on my mind." She said taking two steps forward, "Yesterday, when we talked about the prophecy, you were… holding my hand. My mind was jumbled all night, I mean after finding out I'm from Middle-Earth and all but, the way you held my hand when I woke this morning I could almost still feel your touch."

          "Did it make you feel uncomfortable?" he reshelf the book.

          "No not at all!" Ley exclaimed. "I've just never been treated like that."

          Just then Negolas and Ley both heard someone enter the library. Ley hesitated then looked around one bookcase, it was Ariel.

          "Hi Ley, did you find him?" Ariel walked in followed by Frodo.

          "Hi Ariel, Frodo. Yeah, I found him," Ley said as she completely walked out from behind the bookcase.

          "Oh, well umm… that's all I wanted to know. You looked upset a little while ago, you okay?" Ariel noticed Frodo standing next to her and looked over to the side.

          "I'll tell ya later."

          "Umm… okay."

          Ariel and Frodo turned to leave and as they reached the door Frodo looked at Ley. "Elrond wants to speak with everyone before he departs for Rivendell which would be sometime this evening… I think." Ariel had already left and Frodo followed.

          "Those two seem to be together a lot," Ley said after she was sure they had gone.

          "Much like you and I," Negolas said coming from behind her. He placed two hands on her shoulders.

          "That reminds me of one part in the prophecy: 'With friends and ones that hold their hearts.' Does it mean what I think it means, that whatever this evil is, the ones we love will… will they be in danger?" She made a fist inside her sleeve, "Negolas, I don't want you to be hurt."

          He turned her around and went to kneel. Then he one of her hands into his, "I give you my word. I will not allow harm to become of you do to injuries that might befall me."

          "I'll take your word, Negolas; but I'm afraid it won't help my heart any. I think… maybe if you don't mind… never mind."

          "You want me to show you how to use the bow?"

          Ley's eyes widened, "I didn't even ask!"

          "And I am offering to teach you. If we for surely are going to war it would be best if you know how to use a weapon, why not the bow?"

          "But I can't keep my arm steady." She showed him her other hand was trembling.

          "With some training you could keep it steady," Negolas rose to his feet but he didn't let go of her hand, "I won't mind teaching you."

          _What's this? Am I falling for Negolas?_ Ley sighed then said aloud, "If you insist."

          Negolas looked pleased, then he led the way out of the library. He was taking her somewhere, Ley just didn't know where to.

          Ley noticed that even though in the castle walls they were protected, Negolas still kept his bow on his back.

          "Awww… look at the love birds."

          Ley stopped as she saw Sarah standing next to Edro.

          "You're one to talk, you Schizophrenic Elf-ling… Ever since you met Edro there, you haven't his side!" Ley put her hands on her hips.

          Either Edro didn't like to talk or just couldn't, he said nothing but Sarah advanced.

          "And how'd you get pants?!" Sarah glared at Ley (that evil look we all know she can give).

          "Negolas," Ley answered. She turned to Negolas and said softly, "Get ready to run." Ley cleared her throat then in her new native tongue (in Elvish) Ley said something that only the elves or some who understands Elvish would be able to understand.

          Sarah heard the voice inside her head repeat over and over, 'don't let her getta way with that! Think of something you moron!'

           But the time Sarah tried to reply Ley and Negolas were already half way down the hall. Sarah took off full speed and Ley ran faster, she took a sharp turn up some stairs.

          "Pippin, look out… I think… I got her… just a little too mad…" Ley said as she ran off.

          As Ley hit the stairs going down, Sarah skidded in a 'u' turn to catch Ley. Ley was skipping steps and looking over her shoulder. When Ley looked back in front of her, _Oh God!_ She thought. Then she yelled, "Frodo, Ariel! Watch out!"

          Frodo pushed Ariel out of the way. Ley ran straight into Negolas.

          "Keep away from me you Schizo," Ley said jumping behind Negolas.

          "That was quite rude what you said earlier," Negolas said looking at her.

          "Ummm… what did I miss?" Ariel said. She looked confused.

           Pippin came bounding down the stairs. "What did I miss? What did I miss?!" Pippin looked at Sarah than at Ley and back and forth for a short while, "Did I miss something funny?"

          "Ariel, Pippin, you two just said the same thing," Sarah said. "Weird."

          Just then Edro walked up. "Greetings," was all he said.

          "Oh that's right, Ed and I were gonna do something,"" Sarah said. "Oh, and I've gotta talk to you Negolas-"

          "Oh well, go away now Sarah," Ley cut in. "What ever it is you can save it."

          Sarah gave a look then left with Edro.

          "Ed?" Ariel and Ley said together.

          Ley shook that off and then looked at Frodo, "Frodo, can I ask you something?"

          "Ummm… sure," Frodo seemed to be catching on to the whole slang talk.

          "How did you and Legolas know to be here in Gondor when Ariel and Kaysie first arrived?  I ended up in Fornost with Negolas, I don't think any of this is just a coincidence."

           "Well, ummm, the Lady of the Wood, she told Legolas and I to be in Gondor by a date, Aragorn allowed us to stay without second thought," Frodo explained.

          "Is that what troubled you? Or was it just the other?" Negolas asked.

          "Both, but you just found out about the prophecy. Umm… I just needed my head cleared. Ariel, Frodo, Pippin, I think Negolas was going to show me something." Then Negolas and Ley left.

          "I think the sparks have begun to fly," Ariel said after Ley had turned down the corner.

          "Sparks?" Frodo said.

          "Mean they're starting to like one another," Ariel explained.

          Frodo and Pippin's eyes widen.

          "Negolas in love!"

*

          "What's this place?"

          Negolas had brought her to an open field surrounded in a perfect square of forest.

          "This is a training field," Negolas said.

          "You want to teach me the bow now?" As Ley looked at the woods, she could see circles around one another, circle, targets, and some trees even had arrows in branches and… just everywhere.

          "The sooner we see if the bow– "

          She cut him off, "The better?"

          "Indeed," he drew his bow and handed it to Ley (who took the bow). "It may be best of we not use arrows."

          "Okay, I understand."

          Negolas gestured to how to properly hold the bow. (Hold the handle in the left hand and the string in the right.) "Keep the left arm long and steady, the right like it is." Ley was messing up but not that bad. "Here hold it like this." Negolas was behind her, and his arms pressed against hers, and his hands overlapping hers.

          _Whoa! Space invasion!_ Ley said in her head.

          "Arm steady and straight, when your target is in line, release," then Negolas let the finger on her right hand go and she let go of the string. Negolas stepped away. Ley took in air and tried again and again, this time she did it correctly.

          "I want to try an arrow now," she said firmly.

          He handed her an arrow from his back.

          She lined one of the trees with the tip of her arrow. When she did, she released the string. The arrow whistled through the air and it hit the target.

          "Maybe we should try next time with distractions." Negolas said after Ley stopped jumping, "Maybe while riding a horse, or noise around you."

          "Lovely."


	12. True Elf Love

Chapter 12: True Elf Love 

          Sarah and Edro were both silent as they walked together. But, as they walked, some kind of unknown force was pulling her closer and closer to Edro. Sarah had never felt anything like this before. Sure she had her share of crushes, but this was more.

          _Could this be love? Do I really love him? I've never loved a guy before! What should I do? What should I do? What should I say? (Sigh) I'm so confused!_ Sarah thought.

          Sarah looked up seeing Edro staring at her.

          "What?!" Sarah said angrily, since she doesn't like it when people stare at her.

          "Your clothes…" Edro said.

          "What about them?" Sarah asked.

          "They're hobbit clothes," Edro said.

          "Well, unless you find me some real clothes, I'll have to continue to wear these," Sarah said. Edro continued to stare at Sarah.

          "Your eyes are brown… really dark brown…" Edro said suddenly.

          "Um… thank you… your ears are… umm… very pointy," Sarah said, coming up with something to say. Edro let out a slight laugh.

          "Um… here… I found this and… thought you might like it," Edro said to Sarah. He pulled out of his pocket a silver ring with a vivid red jewel directly in the middle. Edro picked up Sarah's right hand and slipped it onto her middle finger. Sarah stared at it in amazement.

          "Ed…" Sarah began to say but stopped because Ariel, Frodo, Kaysie, Legolas, Ley, and Negolas showed up.

          "Hi Sarah," said Ariel.

          "Hi Ariel," said Sarah.

          "Greetings," Edro said to Sarah's friends.

          "So… Edro… where are you from?" asked Kaysie.

          "That's not important," said Edro.

          "Do you ever say anything more than a sentence?" asked Ley.

          "No…" Edro said uncomfortably.

          "Yeah, I mean, it would be nice for you to actually be a conversation starter," said Ariel.

          "So…" Edro added uncomfortably.

          "Maybe he's trying to hide his true self, his true life, his true past, his true soul… if he has a soul," said Legolas suspiciously.

          "I don't have to prove myself to some Elven Prince," said Edro. Then he pushed past Legolas and disappeared outside.

          "Why did you have to do that?!" Sarah yelled at Legolas.

          "Well, it's strange how an elf, that we don't even know anything about, shows up after you four arrive here," Negolas said.

          "SO! I don't care what you think! … I'm going to my room!" Sarah yelled, and ran to her room.

***

          Sarah had fallen asleep in her bedroom. She didn't know how long she had been asleep. When she opened her eyes, she saw a black dress and a pair of black boots at the end of her bed. Sarah undressed out of the hobbit clothes she was wearing and got dressed into the black dress and boots. She liked how they fitted her. She then read the note that was attached to it.

_Meet me at the bottom of the stairs. Hope you like the dress._

_- Edro_


	13. The Road Beyond Is Rather Dim

Chapter 13: The Road Beyond Is Rather Dim 

          "Elrond looked rather serious earlier, didn't he?" Ariel asked Frodo as they walked to meet up with the others.

          "This is a serious matter. Surely there is a reason why Lord Elrond was grave," he replied.

          "Well, I would have thought you knew why. You sure knew about this whole prophecy thing," she said rather coldly.

          "What was I supposed to do? Lord Elrond himself told me not to say a word to you nor the others," he said, almost annoyed.

          "Look, it just bothers me when I am not 'allowed' to know something. That's all… I'm not intending on sounding rude or anything, but…"

          "You do not want to be left behind in all this," he finished.

          She nodded and then sighed.

          "Hey you two! Why so gloomy?" Merry asked. He and Pippin were walking down a nearby stairway, and caught up with Ariel and Frodo.

          "What are you up to?" Pippin asked.

          "We're going to see Lord Elrond at his request. Where's Sam?" Frodo asked.

          "He's packing. Say's the wife and kids will worry soon if he doesn't go home," Merry explained.

          "Will you be leaving soon, too?" Ariel asked them.

          "Depends…" said Pippin.

          "Depends on what?"

          "Rather or not we feel like leaving… or if they tell us to leave…" Merry said.

          "Makes sense… I guess…" Ariel shrugged.

          "Of course it does," said Merry.

          Shortly afterwards, Sam joined up with his fellow hobbits. Then, the hobbits headed into the room, on the bottom floor, in which Elrond, Aragorn, and Gandalf were waiting for them. They were the first ones to arrive, for once. Kaysie, Legolas, Ley, and Negolas entered next. It seemed the hostility between them had faltered, or perhaps left completely, Ariel did not know for sure. Sarah and Edro then came in last, nobody looked up at them. Past events still played in their minds.

          Elrond stepped forward.

          "We all know of the foretold shadows, that is why you four have returned. Because our enemy remains faceless, we have no real way of protecting you." He paused to look at each face in the room. Then he began again. "That is why the court of Lord Ellesar and my court have decided it best if you were to travel with my company to Rivendell."

          The room was silent. Finally, Aragorn spoke up.

          "I highly recommend that you leave with Lord Elrond. They offer nothing but the best in hospitality in Rivendell," Aragorn said with a grin.

          "We have also set up a surprise for you in Rivendell," Gandalf smiled in a sly way.

          "Surprise? What kind of surprise?" Ariel asked.

          "Gandalf laughed. "Hopefully, one you will enjoy!"

          "You will have time to think this over. We shall disembark this evening," Elrond concluded. He gave a stiff nod, signaling the meeting was over.

          As they left the room, Ariel said, "Alright! Rivendell! I will finally get to see some _normal_ elves!"

          "And what is that supposed to mean?!" Kaysie, Ley, and Sarah exclaimed as the same time.

          "Uh… well, if you were normal, you wouldn't take that into offense… yeah… so that means you must be wacko elves," she said as she backed away from the advancing, towering shadows.

          "If you'll excuse us!" Frodo blurted. He grabbed Ariel by the wrist. "We must speak with Gandalf…"

          He hastily led her away from the frightful elves (or at least they were frightful from a hobbit's point of view).

          "You really ought to watch what you say," he warned her when they were a safe distance away.

          "Yeah, but they know I'm joking… I think… well, they never take anything I say that seriously," she explained.

          "Even so, what if one day they take your jokes the wrong way?"

          "I guess you're right," she sighed. "Maybe I should lighten up a little. Seeing as how they aren't too happy with that Edro fellow."

          "But he did seem to come out of nowhere," Frodo said.

          "Not you too! I've yet to see him do anything wrong. I mean, pushing Legolas is one thing… but this world isn't going to disappear tomorrow because of it."

          "So then, you are willing to trust him?"

          "Hm. I suppose. Sarah's my best friend, and if she truly feels for this guy… er, elf, then I will stand beside her judgment; so as I will support Kaysie and Legolas, and Ley and Negolas. I'm happy whenever everyone else is happy too!" Her contentment had shown through her speech. Her bright smile aligned perfectly with the expression in her eyes.

          "Alright then, if you are willing giving him a chance, then so will I," Frodo said.

          "Right! No more fighting, just peacefulness!" She gave a childish laugh.

***

          When everyone was packed and ready to go, they gathered at the main doors of the castle. Elrond and Gandalf were exceedingly pleased with their decisions to accompany them to Rivendell.

          "My kingdom may not be as fair as Lord Elrond's, but… may I ask for a reason why you all are so eager to leave?" Aragorn asked them lightheartedly.

          No one caught the joke and tried thinking of a way to explain. Arwen, who was also there to wish them a safe departure, nudge Aragorn and playfully whispered, "Not all of us can be as funny as you, dear."

          Soon, the whole company appeared, mostly elves and dwarves.

          "I didn't know _this_ many people would be coming," Ariel said in awe.

          "The world doesn't revolve around us, you know," Kaysie replied to her comment.

          Ariel stuck her tongue out in reply.

          As they stood outside waiting for the final preparations, Ley spotted an apple tree. While no one seemed looking, she went over and picked an apple off the tree.

          "What is that for, Ley?" Negolas questioned as she placed it in her backpack.

          "Just… something to snack on," she shrugged.

          "How many elves does it take to get to Rivendell?" Gimli said aloud after some time of waiting.

          Legolas and Negolas stood on each side of him.

          "That depends on many factors, Master Dwarf," Legolas said.

          Gimli looked at them both. "And what factors would that be?"

          "Depends on how many dwarves decide to come along," Negolas said.

          They laughed. Everyone was then set to go. Elrond stood in the center of the crowd to direct them.

          "The first company I assigned will head out in a few minutes. Then my company will leave. Followed by the others I assigned. You know who you are."

          Ariel watched as a group of warrior-like elves took off at full speed. Then she felt a tap on the back of her shoulder. She turned around and saw that it was Merry and Pippin.

          "Hello there," they said in union.

          "Hi! What's up?"

          They both looked up into the sky.

          "No, no. I mean, what's happening?"

          "What a silly question. Haven't you been paying attention?" Pippin asked.

          "No, I mean– "

          "Well, you should just say what you mean then. You are a very hard egg to crack, so to speak," Merry said.

          "She's shaped more like a banana. Or perhaps a twig," Pippin said.

          "I'm not a fruit!!" she exclaimed.

          Kaysie overheard this and took a few steps away from her.

          "Nor a plant," Ariel said a little quieter.

          Then she tried desperately to explain to Merry and Pippin what slang is.

          In the distance, Sam and Frodo were saying their goodbyes.

          "I'm afraid this is one adventure I can't accompany you on," Sam said, rather gloomy. "Though, I feel I should come along…"

          "Don't worry, Sam. I fully understand. The people of the Shire are waiting for their mayor to return," Frodo said.

          "I hope you will not forget about the Shire on your new adventure."

          "Of course not," Frodo said, not taking Sam's comment seriously.

          "And I hope, one day, you will come back… and perhaps with more than just yourself, if you follow…" Sam grinned.

          "But… Merry and Pippin will be returning with– "

          Sam laughed. "That's not what I meant, Mr. Frodo."

          "What did you… oh?" Frodo laughed. "I see…" He looked over at Ariel, who was laughing at something Merry and Pippin were doing. "I would like that very much…" he admitted to Sam.

          "Anyways, best be off, Mr. Frodo. No doubt my escorts want to get to their homes too," said Sam. "Though, I wish that I could come with you…"

          "There are certain responsibilities you must attend to…"

          "Yes, yes… take care, Mr. Frodo." He patted Frodo on the shoulder, and then walked over to his ever-faithful pony, Bill.

           "Take care, Samwise!" Frodo called as he waved goodbye.

          Then, he walked back over to the group and shortly after a small line of elves leading various horses and ponies came over.

          "We're going to ride them?" Ariel asked to no one in particular.

          "You've really been out of it today, haven't you?" Kaysie said.

          "But… I don't know how to ride one of those!"

          "What have you been doing for the last four weeks? Causing trouble, no doubt."

          "The irony of all this was that I was once taller than you," Ariel said.

          "What does that have to do with anything?" she asked impatiently.

          "Never mind… Look, just be careful of Merry and Pippin…"

          "What? Now what did they do? Or should I ask, what did _you_ do?"

          "Oh nothing," she spoke as light as air. "I think I'll go bug Sarah now."

          Kaysie quietly said to herself, "Oh great, now what are we in for today?"

          "Oh Sarah!" Ariel called out, almost in a song.

          As Ariel approached, Sarah seemed quite out of it herself. She was focused on the ring on her finger.

          "Ah… Sarah?" Ariel tugged at her dress.

          Sarah shook her head out of her daydream and looked down at the hobbit.

          "What?" she said as if this reality wasn't good enough.

          "I know you normally space out and all… but… what's with that ring? Ooh, I know! I bet Edro gave it to you, right?" Ariel was grinning from ear to ear.

          "That's none of your business!" she exclaimed.

          "Tsk, tsk. Touchy, aren't we? Or is this simply a mirage? You actually meant to say, 'Oh, I'm madly in love with him!' Am I right?"

          Sarah blankly stared at her for a moment, and then shook her head.

          "Riiiiiight… I'm going to… walk away," she said while backing up, away from Sarah. "I get no slack around here…" Ariel murmured to herself.

          "There you are! I've found you," Frodo said.

          Ariel turned around and said innocently, "Ariel has been found?"

          "Yes, you have. Come on now, everyone is mounting his or her steeds… We must get going," he explained.

          "But… I don't know how to ride a horse!"

          "You won't be riding one," he laughed. "Ponies are much friendlier, I think. And, you can ride with me."

          "What if I fall off?" She pouted at the idea.

          "You won't," he said firmly, reassuring her.

          "Okay…" she sighed. _Couldn't we just take our time and walk to enjoy the scenery?_ she though to herself.

          Everyone found their own mode of transportation, and soon Elrond's company (the one they were in) was off. They traveled till the moon was fully greeting them, and the songs of owls and other various nocturnal birds could be heard from miles away. Ariel, who had been a little jumpy all evening, was finally starting to nod off to sleep, though the path they took was not smooth sailing. And she would not be able to fall asleep this way.

          The events that came next were a bit unclear. All Ariel remembered was of setting up camp and then falling asleep. The rays of the next day came all too soon. She awoke with the sun still rising and noticed only a few other elves were awake.

          She watched them for a while as they completed their orders. Ariel also saw that Elrond was up already.

          _What a weird schedule, _she thought to herself. _Do they ever really sleep the normal eight hours of sleep?_

          She watched as all the other elves of the company got up and silently laughed as they all eventually did the same thing: yawn, stretch, and then rub their eyes.

          Later, as everyone gathered for breakfast, there was a bit of a commotion. It seems Ley, Kaysie, and Sarah was mad at Ariel, for what, she did not know.

          "What did you tell Pippin and Merry?!" Ley exclaimed.

          "What do you mean?" she asked, rather confused.

          "Do you know what they said to us earlier?!" Sarah shouted.

          "Haven't a clue…"

          "Merry first greeted us with, 'Wazzup, my homies?'!" Kaysie answered.

          "Then Pippin said, 'Catch you guys on the o-side, cuz'!" Ley added.

          "Oh sure, blame the little one first…" Ariel said jokingly.

          "Well, we did suspect Sarah at first, but should would never say anything quite as… lame," Kaysie said.

          "Yeah… and I would?"

          "YES!" the three elves exclaimed at once.

          Ariel grumbled something to her self, and then stood up. "Fine! Fine, I'll go talk to them. I'll tell them to cool it."

          "No!" Kaysie said suddenly. "Tell them to stop completely."

          Ariel sighed. "Whatever…"

          So, she found Merry and Pippin talking to Frodo, hopefully not about slang. She must now unravel what she's done.

          "Yo!" Pippin said as she joined them.

          "Um… yeah, about this new terminology thingy… you gotta cool it a little, or at least simmer down on the whole thing… a lot," she told them.

          "What do you mean?" Merry asked.

          "Maybe you should talk how you usually talk. Until you learn when and where to speak like that," she reasoned. They looked confused still, so she tried another tactic. "Besides… all of your accents are so adorable! Why would you want to speak any differently?"

          "You think so?" Pippin asked.

          "She nodded and then laughed.

***

          The company began its journey again. Elrond had spent the last few days observing 'the four chosen', and silently laughing at their awkward behaviors.

          One day, when they had stopped for a break, Ariel had tired of counting the seemingly never-ending rows of trees and wildlife. She then realized that she had not been able to listen to any form of music in the past few weeks.

          _What torture…_ she thought to her self. So, she entertained herself by humming a song, not caring if anyone heard her.

          "What are you humming?" Sarah asked her as she walked by and noticed Ariel humming.

          "A really good song…you want to hear it?"

          "No."

          "Well, I'll sing it anyways…"

          So, she began to sing aloud:

_'His eyes, they closed_

_And his last breath spoke_

_He had seen all to be seen_

_A life once full, now an empty vase_

_Wilt the blossoms on his early grave_

_Walk away me boy, walk away me boy_

_And by mornin' we'll be free_

_Wipe that golden tear from your mother dear_

_And raise what's left of the flag for me…'_

          As she sung this verse, more and more elves began to gather.

_'Then the rosary beads, count them_

_One, two, three_

_Fell apart as they hit the floor_

_In a garb of black,_

_We must pay respect_

_To the colour we're bourne to mourn_

_Walk away me boys, walk away me boys_

_And by mornin' we'll be free_

_Wipe that golden tear from your mother dear_

_And raise what's left of the flag for me!_

_In his place there grew an angry festered wound_

_Filled with hatred and remorse_

_Where I'd pick and scratch till the blood it matched_

_The silent rage now filled m' lungs_

_For there are many ways to kill a man they say_

_With bayonet, axe, or sword_

_But son, a bullet fired from a shapeless guise_

_Leaves but a shell of a Thompson gun…'_

          By this time, she had caught Elrond's attention and he watched from a far. And some elves even hummed along.

_'From the East out to the Western shore_

_Where many men and many more will fall_

_But no angel flies with me tonight_

_Till freedom reigns on all_

_And curse the name_

_For which we slaved our days_

_Till every man shall his kingdom come_

_But sure as night turns day_

_Ends the passion play_

_Oh my God, what have they done?_

_With madman's rage_

_Well they dug our graves_

_But the dead rise again you fools_

_Walk away me boys, walk away me boys_

_And by mornin' we'll be free_

_Wipe that golden tear from your mother dear_

_And raise what's left of the flag for me!'_

          As the song ended, the small group applauded, and Ariel graciously bowed.

          "Thank you! Thank you very much!"

          "You sang off key," Ley told her as she stepped off her 'stage'.

          "Well, that means I've done more than you have today," she simply replied.

          "That's mean…" Ley said.

          "You know what, you guys?" Ariel began.

          "What?" Sarah asked.

          "I'm hungry," she grinned.

          "You're always hungry," Kaysie said.

          Almost out of nowhere, an apple flew out and hit her on the head.

          "Ouch!" Ariel cried. "Okay, who threw that?!"

          Ariel looked from face to face to face. Ley looked the guiltiest.

          "That was a perfectly good apple!" Ariel said as she rubbed her head.

***

          As they entered the city of Rivendell, things seemed to take the feeling, and appearance, of being ancient. The trees were larger and time, it felt, began to slow down. They dismounted their horses and ponies, and were lead inside Elrond's castle.

          "Young hobbit," Gandalf suddenly called to Ariel.

          "Huh? Er… um… yes?" she stuttered as she was brought away from admiring the craftsmanship of the palace.

          "I must speak with you, alone. Please, follow me."

          "Okay…" she blinked, and then followed.

          They stood for a moment in the corridor, waiting for the company to be completely out of site. The hallway was lit only by sunlight, and trees seemed to grow actually inside the castle.

          "I'm afraid… I have a bit of bad news," he began.

          "Really?"

          "Yes. It is about the surprise you were promised…"

          When Gandalf didn't continue, Ariel asked, "W-what about it?"

          "The surprise was a meeting with your birth parents. But, as you already may know, hobbits rarely do any traveling."

          "Right… you have, sort of, nudge them out the door. I understand. But, will I be able to see them?"

          "Well, in order to meet your parents, you must travel to the Shire."

          "When?"

          "When you are well rested, I should think," Gandalf chuckled.

          "Oh. So… is that where everyone is going now?"

          "In a moment they will, yes."

          "Can we go see how they react, please? I bet it'll be a real funny site to see!"

          "Alright," he smirked, rather please she accepted the news so well. "If you wish to."

          So, they caught up with the others. Ariel could hardly contain he laughter, for she now knew what the future held.


	14. A Surprise With a Side of Fighting

Chapter 14: A Surprise With a Side Of Fighting 

          Kaysie was caught in pure amazement and wonder at the halls surrounding her as she walked with her fellow companions. The walls were all colored a soft cream and most were covered with rich green vines that had snuck in through the open windows. The floors were made of polished wood and the feet that fell upon them were barely heard. Also to her amazement, Kaysie saw that there was no glass anywhere, not even in the windows.

          The company continued their journey through the castle until they came upon an open balcony that had stairs descending from it. They followed the stairs until they came to another balcony that was much larger than the first. In the very center stood a small table of stone shaped like a star and surrounding it were chairs forming a circle. It was the meeting place where the council of Elrond had taken place eighteen years ago.

          "If you all wait here and take a seat I shall return shortly," Elrond addressed everyone.

          The group broke apart as Elrond left the platform. Each member who had had a seat in the Council sat in their rightful chairs while everyone else filled the other seats. Their order went like this from left to right: Ariel, Frodo, Gandalf, Legolas, Kaysie, Negolas, Ley, Gimli, Merry, Pippin, Sarah, and Edro. There were only a few empty chairs here and there (except for between the couples) but everyone was close enough to hold a conversation.

          "It has been many years since I have seen this," stated Gimli to no one in particular.

          "Indeed it has," agreed Legolas. Frodo nodded and Gandalf smiled.

          "So," said Kaysie to Legolas, "I assume you know what the surprise is?"

          "I do," answered Legolas. When Kaysie raised her eyebrows in anger he quickly added, "As do many of us."

          "I see," replied Kaysie. "Is there anything else that _you_ know that we have not been filled in on?"

          Legolas swallowed. He could see that the elf beside him was angry and he did not know how to reply. Gandalf however did and so saved Legolas from doing so.

          "My dear," Gandalf answered. Kaysie looked at him. "Legolas did not keep secrets from you willingly. He was bid to do so by myself, and others. Do not hold it against him. There was a time when I feared that Legolas and a few others would break and tell all. They did not, however, and for that I am grateful."

          With that Gandalf smiled knowingly and then turned to converse with Frodo and Ariel. Kaysie sighed. She felt bad for snapping at Legolas. She looked to him only to find Legolas looking back at her with a remorseful glint in his eyes.

          "Legolas," Kaysie began, "I did not mean to snap at you the way I did." Legolas looked confused at her use of slang. He was not yet used to it for Kaysie had refrained from using it too much while around him. She did not want an incident to occur like the one with Merry and Pippin. "What I mean," Kaysie refrained her sentence, "Is that I did not mean to get upset with you. I just have a lot on my mind and waiting for this so-called, 'surprise' is driving me mad. Do you forgive me?"

          "There is nothing to be sorry about, melamin," Legolas said, warmth returning to his eyes. "I understand."

          Kaysie smiled warmly at him at his use of melamin instead of her real name. Legolas had resorted to calling her that after the night on the hill, only using her name if the matter at hand was serious. Legolas took Kaysie's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze as laughter filled the platform. Apparently Merry and Pippin were telling the others of a time when they almost got caught by Farmer Maggot after stealing some cabbages from his field. The company continued to talk and laugh merrily until Elrond came back.

          "I believe you all have waited long enough," he said to everyone. "So I believe that the surprise shall now be revealed."

          Elrond stepped aside from the stairway he had come from revealing a small group of five people behind him. The group consisted of three elven women and two elven men. They walked out onto the platform in plain view. Gasps came from the company.

          "Ley, Sarah, and Kaysie, I bring you your birth parents," Elrond said to the three she-elves and then to Ariel he said, "I believe you know why your parents are not here?" Ariel nodded with a small smile. Elrond nodded back in response and then addressing the she-elves again said, "Will you three please stand?"

          Ley, Kaysie, and Sarah stood up from their chairs on shaky legs. They had not been expecting this. Elrond motioned for them to join him next to their parents. They obeyed though with a bit of reluctance. When they were next to the Lord of Imladris (Rivendell) he put a gentle hand on Ley's shoulder.

          "Ley, these are your parents," Elrond told her while her parents stepped forward. Ley's eyes widen a bit in fear as her birth parents embraced her in a tearful yet joyful hug. While this went on Elrond introduced Kaysie to her mother and Sarah to her parents. After much hugging and crying, the reunited families went off in their own directions.

          The days passed swiftly in Rivendell though it only felt like a few moments to the elves. Ariel had left the day after the "surprise" to go and meet her parents in the Shire accompanied by Frodo, Merry, Pippin, and Gandalf, leaving the rest of the company in Rivendell. In that time since she left Sarah, Ley, and Kaysie grew closer to their parents. Life seemed perfect and the worries that they carried about the prophecy and the danger that it spoke of were buried deep in their minds. That is until they received the letters.

          Kaysie walked into her room to lie down for a while for she was tired from the outing she had just had with her mother Celebeledh and Legolas. She went over to bed and flopped down on it. She heard a crinkling from underneath her and sat up quickly. On the bed was a folded up piece of paper. Kaysie picked it up and read it. By the time she was done reading it her heart was thumping wildly in her chest. The letter read:

_My Lady Kaysie,_

_          I am pleased to hear that you are enjoying your stay at Rivendell. The reunion with your mother went well, I hope. If it did that is well for your happiness will be short lived. I have, for years, been believed to be a faceless evil but now I am making my appearance. You and your friends are safe nowhere. No one can protect you, not even the Prince of Mirkwood. I have eyes and ears everywhere. None will escape my wrath. Be warned. I shall soon prevail and you and your friends, the ones thought able to destroy me, shall beg for mercy at my feet though you shall receive little._

_Best wishes,  
Beleganga_

          Kaysie gripped the letter in fear and then jumped from her bed and ran to find Legolas.

          Later that day, everyone was gathered in Lord Elrond's study. After finding Legolas, Kaysie had showed him the letter and then together they had sought out Elrond. It hadn't been long after that that they had run into Sarah and Ley, who had each been holding similar letters in their hands. Now Elrond had all three letters in his possession and was studying them closely. The air was tense and Legolas and Negolas showed much restlessness. They were both pacing about the room, which was driving Ley and Kaysie crazy. Sarah and Edro, meanwhile, were sitting together talking quietly while the three she-elves' parents were looking at the letters with Elrond.

          "I just don't get it," said Celebeledh (Kaysie's mother). "Who put the letters in their rooms?"

          Elrond frowned. "I do not know. It is impossible for anyone, without my leave, to enter Rivendell much less the castle. The only…"

          "It must have been someone who already had access to the castle," interrupted Legolas. He had stopped pacing and now Negolas did the same.

          "I agree," he said.

          "That could be," was Elrond's calm response. "But that is not the only possibility. Only one of many."

          "Yes, I agree with Lord Elrond," said Sarah's mother Alda. "There are many possibilities."

          "But it is the most likely," argued Negolas.

          "Indeed," Elrond began but was cut off by Edro who stood up abruptly.

          "Why is that the most-likely?" he demanded. "You heard Lord Elrond. There is more than just that possibility."

          "Why are you so quick to rule out the possibility that we may have a traitor in our midst?" asked Legolas coldly. "Perhaps you have something to hide?"

          "I have told you once before, I do not have to prove myself to some elven prince," Edro replied snidely.

          "I believe," said Negolas speaking before Legolas could, "That you are avoiding the question."

          Edro glanced at everyone in the room. They were all watching the scene and awaited his answer. Edro sneered and turned to Legolas.

          "I hide nothing, Prince," he stressed the word prince. "But perhaps you do. After all you _are_ quick to put blame on me."

          Legolas could no longer hold his anger back. He lunged at Edro, hate etched into his features. Edro did not expect this and so when Legolas toppled into him he lost his balance and fell to the floor taking Legolas with him. Kaysie, Ley, and Sarah bolted out of their seats while Negolas and Gimli tried pulling the two ferocious elves off of each other. They did not succeed. Elrond also tried getting Edro and Legolas to stop fighting but that did not work either. Nothing could stop them as they rolled around on the floor each trying to gain an advantage on the other. Finally Legolas was able to do so and smashed Edro into a bookshelf. This angered the dark-haired elf causing him to throw a punch hitting Legolas in the mouth. Negolas and Gimli still tried to pull them apart though their attempts were feeble. Finally though guards were called in and they pulled Legolas and Edro apart and held them away from each other.

          "Now that is enough," Elrond yelled at them. "This is a very serious matter. Lives are at risk here. If you cannot act civilized then leave."

          Legolas and Edro stopped struggling against the guards and were released. The bruised and bloody elves returned to their seats and Elrond continued.

          "We will send a messenger to the Shire to retrieve the others. We can assume that Ariel received a letter as well, therefore, it would be safest is she returned here. A messenger will also be sent to Lothlorien, Gondor, Mirkwood, and the home of the dwarves to give them tidings of these recent events. We need to start forming alliances."

          "And I will send for your father," Celebeledh said to Kaysie. "Though he could not make it for your return he will surely come now."

          Kaysie nodded in response. Her father was a man of Gondor. A royal guard.

          "I believe this meeting is over for now," Elrond said. "You may all go and do what you wish… except for fighting or arguing of any sort. Also remember to be careful and try to stay in numbers."

          Kaysie went to Legolas immediately after Elrond said this and Sarah went to Edro. They were both bruised and bloodied but got scolded by the girls anyways for fighting the way they did. After they apologized profusely Kaysie and Sarah decided to get the elves cleaned up. Kaysie took Legolas' hand and led him out of the study and then led to his room followed by Ley and Negolas while Sarah took Edro to his room. Things were not going so well.


	15. No Returns Home

Chapter 15: No Returns Home 

          Ley walked with her parents on either side of her. She remembered Negolas still at the table looked over her shoulder at him.

          She sighed. _I do have parents that love me,_ she told herself as she brought her face back in front of her.

          "Ainaear, I'm so proud to have you back," Celebear (Ley's mother) exclaimed hugging her daughter around her shoulders. "I missed your childhood, as you grew into a young elf."

          "Mom, can't… hardly breathe..." Ley choked, Celebear's grip had been tightening until Ley's last remark. "I missed having birth parents who loved me.

          "You weren't loved?!" Celebear's voice grew louder. "How could anyone not love my little Ainaear?!"

          "Whoa! You don't understand! I was loved very much but my mother who raised me adopted me from another. When I discovered my legal birth mother I confronted her and then I was treated like I was nothing to her, and that hurt."

          "Your mother and I have been talking, why don't you come home to Mirkwood? You will receive all the love and more you missed from that… oh, what's a better word… orc-like birth mother of yours," Sirfalas said as his eyes narrowed.

          _Stay in Mirkwood? I don't think I could handle that. He just called Jandie an orc,_ Ley thought. By then they had arrived at her parents room.

          Like everywhere else the walls were cream, no glass in the windows, and the floor a polished wood.

          "I won't go home," Ley finally said after a while. "What ever my destiny is… I haven't done it yet."

          "Then it is not too late!" Celebear exclaimed. "If you come with us, you'll– "

          "No! Mom, dad, don't even think like that. I'll come home… when I feel like it. But I'm not leaving my three best friends alone. Besides Negolas already has a home in Fornost," Ley jumped up from her chair,

          "Legolas? You're with the prince?" questioned Sirfalas.

          "No, Negolas. Negolas is Legolas' double." Ley explained everything about Negolas she could, but laughed when she told them about Pippin. "I'm very thankful for Pippin so I promised to protect him whenever he's in danger."

          "But you're still with the prince, if Negolas is Prince Legolas' double. Negolas would still be prince as well." Sirfalas added, "If you were to marry him you would become Queen of Mirkwood."

          "Atar, I don't want to sit on a throne all my life, and I won't."

          Just then there was knock at the door. Sirfalas opened it and Negolas was standing there.

          "Speak of the devil," Ley muttered under her breath. "Negolas, what are you doing here?"

          "He just thought he would come and meet us," greeted Celebear.

          _I think he came to be with me. Ever since that afternoon in the library… we haven't really been away from one another, and in those days we traveled, I learned had to use a bow while riding a horse without a saddle at the same time,_ Ley thought to her self.

          "Ainaear?" Sirfalas put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Is it all right?"

          "I'm sorry, what was it?" Ley looked into the gray eyes of her mother and father. They both had blonde hair and gray eyes, unlike her parents Ley had dark, almost black hair and dark brown eyes that were like her hair.

          "I was asked to stay with you, yet I will only do so if you wish," Negolas said.

          "Uhh… why are you asking me? It's my parent's room. It's up to them."

          "But he's your love– "

          Ley's eyes widened at her mother's remark.

          "That's umm…" Ley looked towards the sky. "I… maybe."

*

          Ley, Negolas, Celebear, and Sirfalas talked well into the night. When Ley started to doze off everyone decided to call it a night. Negolas walked her to her room and as they reached the door Negolas broke the silence.

          "You never answered your mother's question," he stated. "Is it true?"

          "When she said something like or was going to say, 'but he's your love, it is your decision,'" she looked up into Negolas' blue eyes. "I suppose you caught me," she gave a little sigh.

          "You could have told me," he didn't sound offended or angry, Ley could tell the kind of tone or emotion in his voice but it concerned her.

          "You never asked and I never found the time to tell you." Ley felt the gentleness of the back of Negolas' hand on her cheek.

          "Lle naa vanima, Ley (You are beautiful, Ley)," he said gently. 

          "I have my answer."

          "Your answer?"

          "The answer to what my heart has been asking every time we are together. That answer is, I've fallen for you." Ley still looked into his eyes, then she stood on her toes and brushed his lips with hers. She looked at him one last time, sighed, and went into her room.

**

          Days passed and Ley's relationship with both her parents and Negolas grew closer.

          Today Ley and Negolas were going horseback riding through the woods. Ley was also getting close to Eponza, her horse. Eponza was a beautiful cream and her mane was long and silky.

          She met up with Negolas inside the stables. They rode all morning and towards the evening, Ley practiced using the bow without arrows, some of the time, and the rest she spent talking with Negolas.

          Eponza was growing tired so the couple took her to the stall to rest.

          "Thank you," Ley said softly as she closed the stall door. She turned to leave when Eponza gave a neigh, Ley turned around and faced her faithful horse and kissed her between the eyes.

          Negolas walked Ley about Rivendell. Ley loved the beautiful scenery.

          Ley's day was going great and she would tell her self that the entire way up the stairs to her room (which she decided to go to after quite a few hours in the forests). She walked to her room in a trance-like state, only for it to be broken by a letter tacked up on her door.

          Ley yanked the paper from the door, tearing the edge. It read:

_Lady Ley,_

_          It pleases me to know you enjoyed the 'surprise' that was waiting for you here in Rivendell. I do hope received all the love from your parents you wished you always had, yet it shall be short lived as well the love of the Elven Prince. For years I have been faceless, but fear not, for you shall see what none have. Your friends will too, of course. How could I forget your beloved friends? You can hide nowhere, for my eyes see and my ears hear all. You have not long to bid your farewells. All shall see my wrath. And the four of the prophecy shall fall as well 'as the ones that hold their hearts'; they will be the firsts._

_Best wishes,  
Beleganga_

          "Negolas!" Ley took off running for Negolas, tears of sadness streaming from her eyes.

***

          Ley and Negolas (whom had read the letter Ley received) gathered in Elrond's study.

          _Ariel's not here, but she went to meet her parents in the Shire,_ Ley kept telling her self. She was rocking back and forth in her chair while Legolas and Negolas were pacing.

          Ley blocked out any conversation, just rocked. _What did he mean? I won't let Negolas be killed or hurt. Elves love for eternity and I love Negolas._

          The sound of a bookcase falling upon someone snapped Ley out of her thoughts.

          Legolas had lunged at Edro. Edro had punched Legolas in the mouth; they were both bloody and bruised.

          "Stop them!" Ley gave Negolas a shove and he took the hint to try and pull them apart. In the struggle, Edro had kicked Negolas, and it took everything Ley had not to jump Edro.

          Finally after the guards had been called and after who knows how many times Lord Elrond pleaded for the two to stop, they did. They then stopped struggling against the guards.

          Elrond excused them and (with Kaysie at Legolas' side and Sarah at Edro's) they departed. The girls' parents had been there as well. Celebear and Negolas were on either side of Ley, with Sirfalas in the lead.

          "This is it. You are coming home with us!" Sirfalas said very loudly.

          "I told you, I'm not going home to Mirkwood. My letter told me everyone close to me is in danger. There are seven people I care about the most: Negolas, you two, Ariel, Kaysie, and Sarah," Ley said wrapping her arms around Negolas' and resting her head on his shoulder. "Sorry, but the votes are in: it's two for Mirkwood, and five for staying with my friends."

          "Why won't you listen to your father? He only wants the best for you."

          "Because, I just don't want to. Beleganga wants to hurt my friends and loved ones. It doesn't matter if you go back to Mirkwood, he'll find you. And he also knows where you are at all times. I don't know what to tell you." She hugged Negolas' arm and a tear rolled down her face. "I can't handle knowing Negolas is in danger…"

          Negolas reached over with his other arm. "I can assure you, I shall be fine."

          "If you insist on having your way," Sirfalas untied the sheath at his waist; it held two elven daggers. "Use these along side your bow."

          "Thank you. So, no more begging for me to return home?" Ley said as she unlocked her arms. She took the sheath and tied it around her waist.

          "You made your decision," her mother said.

          Just then Sarah and Edro walked by. Edro's arm was behind Sarah's neck and they were talking softly.

          "Edro!" Ley shouted while running towards the two elves, her father's daggers jingling at her side.

          "Don't start!" Sarah snapped.

          "Why should I listen to you? Edro shouldn't have pushed Legolas! Maybe none of this would have happened."

          "Ashley! I'm not in the mood for this!"

          "I agree with Negolas and Legolas. Maybe Edro's the one who gave us those letters."

          "Since when do I have to prove myself to anyone," Edro had a piercing gazed and looked at Ley.

          "You lay one hand on me and Sarah will have more wounds to take care of," Ley took a hold of the dagger's handles and slid one out of it's sheath.

          "Do you even know how to use one of those?" Edro's voice was as cold as ice.

          "'A immortal quick to learn…' That's my part of the prophecy. I'll learn. If it is you who gave us those letters, well, someone better protect you. Only Sarah's love for you would stop me, but I'm not so sure about Negolas or Legolas or any other of my elven friends." Ley turned and her heel and went to Negolas. Her parents had continued on to their room.

          "You should be careful around him. If he truly is Beleganga, and you anger him, he would attack you first. I have killed many orcs, but never another elf."

          Sarah had caught sight of Ley and Negolas this time. 

"Ley, what did all that mean?"

          "Dolle na lost! Auta miqulla yrch! (Your head is empty! Go kiss an orc!)"


	16. Love Conquers All

Chapter 16: Love Conquers All 

          Sarah had understood what Ley said. She wasn't about to have a sorry excuse for an elf ruin her relationship with a man she cared the most about. Approaching Ley, Sarah said, "For one thing, Ley you barely even know Edro. I really think you should give him a chance." She tried her hardest to stay calm.

          "You don't know Edro all that well either," Ley said to Sarah.

          "Well, _you_ need to back off," Sarah said, starting to lose her control.

          "What are you going do to me if I don't? Ley asked Sarah, glaring at her.

          "Look, the prophecy says that I am an elf who seems to be one, but is many. I have personalities that you have never seen before. Those personalities were placed inside of me. They may look and sound like me, but they are definitely not me. Unlike me, they are willing to kill. No matter how many times I have threatened to kill you, I never would because I'm not that kind of person. Some of my other personalities, though, well, that's different. They're willing to kill _anything_ and _everything_ if they have to. And, if you're really my friend, you'd be like Ariel and except Edro," Sarah paused. "Of course, since you're too _STUPID_ to find a good reason to not like him, you decided not to like Edro because he picked on you poor little Negolas. At least I like my guy to not be a he-she!" 

Sarah turned to walk away; when, suddenly she felt a hand hit the back of her head. Sarah spun around and saw Ley glaring at her. Well, that blow to Sarah's head must have affected her in some way because she had a blank look on her face.

          "Um…Sarah?" Ley said trying to figure out what was wrong with Sarah.

          "Ssshhh… I think she's listening to the voices in her head," Edro said, laughing a little.

          The next thing they knew, Sarah started leaping around like a madman… er… woman. Ley watched and the next thing she knew she got punch across the face by Sarah. Just as she was about to react, Sarah started leaping around the room faster. Ley watched again as Sarah rapidly leaped around the room faster. Let watched again as Sarah rapidly leaped around in front of her. Again, she was punched across the face.

          Sarah started to increase the distance and height of her jump (not good!). At one point Sarah landed and punched Ashley. Of course, since Sarah was jumping so high and wide that when she jumped she hit the ceiling and smacked face first on the ground.

          "I'm okay!" Sarah said getting up. She looked to see if Edro was rushing towards her, but he wasn't. Instead, he was rolling on the floor… laughing… a lot.


	17. Who Doth Inhobbit the Hills?

Chapter 17: Who Doth In-hobbit the Hills?

          Gandalf, Ariel, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin traveled from Rivendell to the Shire after a couple of weeks. During their travels, Gandalf received a message from Elrond, informing him of the letters and his wish for their immediate return. Gandalf, however, felt it was not necessary for all of them to return (and that Ariel deserved to meet her birth parents just as much as the others), so he told the others that he was the only one who was asked to go back. 

          "I feel that you will be able to make it to the Shire by yourselves," Gandalf told them.

          "Of course we can! Why wouldn't we be able to?" Merry asked.

          "Things are not what they seem anymore, Meriadoc. I'm afraid you may only stay for one night. Elrond requested that the rest of you should return when you feel that you can. I, on the other hand, am needed right away," he said while preparing to leave.

          "Why do they need you right away, Gandalf?" Frodo asked him.

          "Trouble has seemed to find three of the four chosen– "

          "What?! Has anything happened to them? Maybe we should go–" Ariel interrupted.

          "No, no, nothing along those lines. The faceless evil seemed to have… shown a glimpse of himself to them," Gandalf finished. He mounted Shadowfax.

          "So, he spoke to them?" Pippin asked.

          "Let's speak no more of the matter. I do not wait you to visit your homes in low spirits. I must go now. I will see you all in Rivendell. Everything will be explained there… but first I must explain my self to Lord Elrond… Safe journeys to you all," Gandalf said. Then he quickly rode away.

          "What do you think that meant?" Pippin asked the others.

          "It means… Gandalf did not tell us everything he knew on the matter," Frodo replied.

          "He seems to always leave us behind when it comes to news like this," Merry commented.

          "He probably means well, though. Or maybe… he just doesn't want to tell us things he himself does not fully understand," Ariel suggested.

          They began their journey shortly after Gandalf's abrupt leave. Traveling there wasn't what bothered Ariel; it was the actual meeting of her parents was the problem. She constantly wondered what they would be like. Would they be exceedingly smart, or perhaps they would be a riot and a pleasure to be around? Or maybe, they would be old stiffs and would only bring disturbance in their lives by her visiting them.

          They finally made it to the Shire one morning, after much weary travel.

          "Ah! Home! I think this place is much more comforting than Rivendell!" Pippin cheerfully exclaimed. "Though, I miss the large meals we ate there but… I should very much like to see my family."

          "It's the greatest feeling in the world to see your wife greet you with arms wide open after a long adventure…" Merry said. "Wouldn't you agree, Pip?"

          He nodded in reply.

          Ariel cleared her throat. "Ahem," she said while silently motioning towards Frodo.

          "I don't mind them speaking of such things…" Frodo said after noticing.

          Merry soon departed for Buckland. Frodo warned him to be careful and heed Gandalf's words as he traveled home. Then the others reached Hobbiton. As they walked into town, Ariel marveled at all the other hobbits scurrying about in their daily lives. For so long, she was among elves and felt out of place. Now, she was among kindred.

          "We can stop at Bag End… first… if you want to that is… and visit Sam… I don't mind, really… maybe that would be best… or maybe not… I don't know…" Ariel rambled on. Nervousness was settling in.

          Frodo saw this, and nodded with a small smile. Pippin went on to his home after getting a bit to eat with them. Frodo also warned Pippin to take care and to watch out for things that were out of place. Ariel and Frodo began their walk towards Bag End. Ariel began to notice other hobbits staring intently at them. Some looked a bit frighten, while others gave them terrible scowls.

          Frodo saw the bewilderment on her face and explained, "It seems, like Gandalf, that I have a reputation for causing trouble." He gave a slight laugh. "Sorry if their stares bother you."

          "No, it's alright, I'm probably not wearing the best attire anyways… Ah, well, I will manage… so tell me, my parents are supposed living around here somewhere?"

          "Yes, though, I must admit, I don't think I've every really gotten acquainted to them, but I believe I have met them. But Gandalf has told me where they exactly live."

          "I don't know a thing about them," Ariel sighed. She began to feel somewhat panicky. "Maybe it's best that I don't meet them… they could be a real big disappointment…"

          "But, we are already here. They are only a short distance away."

          "Yeah, I guess that would be pretty silly… since we've traveled some ways…" she gave a false laugh. "Still, home is where your heart is… and…"

          "And where is your heart?" he asked her.

          "I- I don't know. I suppose it should be here, in Middle-Earth, but… there are so many other people I knew on Earth… I feel like my body was emptied then filled again with someone else. I'm not who I thought I was… I am someone, but I don't know her too well… I have to start all over again on that journey…"

          Frodo pondered her words for a moment. Then, he suddenly stopped right in his tracks.

          "What's wrong?" Ariel asked him.

          "Come on," he simply said.

          "Where–?" she began, but was cut off.

          He grabbed her hand and led her onto a different path.

          "Where are we going?" she finally got to ask him.

          "A place that will help you make up your mind about a few things…" he answered.

          "What?" She understood what he meant. "Now? But…"

          "Trust me, alright?"

          Ariel didn't respond, she didn't know how to respond. So, she let him lead her to her parent's house. When they arrived, Ariel noticed that they lived in a well-sized hobbit-hole (or, at least, she assumed they did). It had a blue, round door, and like all the other holes, there was a doorknob right in the middle of it.

          "Well, here we are," he said.

          "Ah…" She stared at the door.

          "Are you going to knock?"

          "Oh…right. Um…"

          She reached over and knocked on the door. The wood was hard against her knuckles, for doorbells made them lazy. She slightly held her breath as the door opened. There was a little boy standing behind the door. He had blonde, curly hair and freckles that stopped his face. The expression he held was somewhere between confusion and annoyance.

          "We don't want any," he said plainly.

          Ariel had expected him to at least ask who she was, or what business she had doing here, but not a comment like this. He had struck a cord with her.

          She responded with, "Is that anyway to speak to your sister?" She then hoped that he was not a visitor in this house.

          "I don't have a sister," he said, scrunching his face in a baffled way.

          "So then… Mama never said anything about me? I've come back to a life that has moved on without me…" she said, almost to herself. "Well, why don't you go ask her and see what she says?"

          The boy raised an eyebrow, slightly nodded, and then ran further into the house.

          "Surely your mother will remember you," Frodo said trying to reassure her.

          "My name's not Shirley…" she said, trying to lighten the situation, mainly for herself. Then laughed when she saw that Frodo did not get the joke. "Never mind… just a… play on words…" she shrugged.

          Then, a woman in a red dress came to the door. She stood there, Ariel noticed, with tears streaming down her face.

          "Mama?" Ariel blinked, not sure of what else to say.

          At that word, the woman had lost all composure and ran forward to hug her.

          "My little Azalea has come home!" she said through her sobs.

          "Mama… I'm fine. You don't need to cry anymore!" She patted her on the back.

          "Let me get a good look at you…" Her mother placed both of her hands on her shoulders. She glanced up and down. Then she frowned. "Azalea, honey, you're so thin! Did they starve you at that place you grew up in? And you're filthy too! Have you been playing sport with the boys?" She began to rub dirt spots off of Ariel's face.

          "No, Mama, please… don't…" Her face flushed. "I've been traveling, that's all."

          Then her mother turned to Frodo. "Thank you for returning my daughter, dear hobbit. What is your name sweetheart?"

          "Frodo Baggins, of Bag End," he answered.

          "Oh! Yes, I've heard of you. Your cousin sure has brought strange tidings to Hobbiton; bless him. And I've heard that you've been into your own bit of trouble…" she said while examining him. "But you are an adorable little thing, though you are a bit lean. I bet you could use a nice home-cooked meal… you have very pretty eyes…"

          "Mama…" Ariel said.

          "Oh, right. Well, come now. Come inside and get settled. You both look weary. Where did you say you traveled from?" she asked as she guided them inside. Frodo followed behind Azalea… err… Ariel.

          "From Rivendell," Ariel replied.

          "Ah! Now that is a long ways away! Alright, now watch this!"

          She placed two fingers up to her mouth and gave a long whistle. There was a moment of complete silence. Then, five hobbits seemed to appear out of nowhere. Ariel and Frodo watched on as each one of them was introduced.

          "This," her mother began, motioning towards the tallest of the bunch, "Is your father, Shane May."

          "Hello," he nodded, and peered through his glasses. He, like his younger sons, had sandy blonde hair. He wore a white shirt with a yellow vest, and dark green pants.

          "And these are your older brothers, Shawn and Thomas," she continued.

          They both nodded as their names were called out. Shawn and Thomas had dark hair, like their mother. Shawn didn't seemed all to pleased with her arrival, but Thomas had a wide smile on his face.

          "And the younger ones, Danny and Thane," she added.

          Ariel looked down and saw the little ones. Danny, she saw, was the same young hobbit from earlier. He looked up in wonderment and Thane, the youngest, shyly hid behind his mother.

          "And I'm your mother, Lily May. And, we are your family!"

          "Wonderful," Ariel said half laughing. "Even in this world, I'm cursed with brothers…"

          "We're not all that bad," Thomas smirked.

          "And who might you be?" Shane asked.

          "Dear! This is our daughter, Azalea! Don't you remember?"

          "We have a daughter?" he scratched his head.

          "Father, she was but an infant when she was sent away," Shawn spoke up.

          Shane peered through his glasses again. Then he said, "Ah yes! I remember now… little Azalea, welcome home!"

          "Uh… thanks…" she responded.

          "Now! We must have a feast!" exclaimed Lily. "Frodo, dear, will you be staying for dinner? I hope that you will."

          He looked over to Ariel, who was quickly nodding yes. He slightly laughed, and said, "Only if I am permitted."

          "Of course, of course! No, if you'll excuse me, I have meals to prepare!" Lily said, and walked out of the room.

          "Now that we have some silence, may I ask you something, dear?" Shane addressed Ariel.

          "Yes?" she asked.

          "Why are you wearing male clothing?"

          Ariel looked down at her clothing. Not wanting to make a mess of things, she did not tell him who the clothes belonged to and answered, "Well, Papa, I think this clothing is… more comfortable."

          "Right," he nodded. "If that's what makes you happy dear, then go for it!" Then he went further into the house.

          So, Frodo, Ariel, and her brothers stood there for a moment. Then Thomas spoke first.

          "Better get the little ones washed up for dinner."

          He went over to them, picked Thane up into his arms and grabbed Danny by the hand lead them into a back room.

          "I remember when," Shawn began.

          Ariel her eyes off of the hallway and looked attentively at him.

          "I was so young though… and Thomas was even younger, but the one thing I remember clearly in my mind… I knew of you, but you did not stay for long. Messenger from Rivendell… they came and then you were gone. I asked mother, but she didn't say much. I did, and still, do not fully understand why they took you. I would very much like to know where you have been for the last eighteen years. And, of all families, why did they take you from us?"

          Ariel replied, "I… do not know why I was chosen, or what will happen now… but, the one thing I am sure of is where I have been. I grew up in a world very, very different from this one… and I've sorta grown attached to it… But I'm adjusting…"

          "Will you be staying long, or…" he faltered.

          "We are needed back in Rivendell," Frodo said, "to decide on what to do next."

          "That stupid prophecy," he hissed. "Sauron is gone! Destroyed! You of all people should know that! Why else is she needed?!"

          "Big brother," she said sweetly, trying to calm him down, "that is why we are going back… I'll be home shortly afterwards."

          He looked at her and shook his head. Them he stormed off.

          "That's all that he needs to know is that I'm going off to war," Ariel said after knowing that he was completely out of the room.

          Frodo, who did not like this idea himself, stated, "Perhaps it will not turn into war. Maybe there will be a great compromise and…"

          "Why can't we all just get along?" she sighed.

          "Speaking of which, I hope there is a Rivendell to return to."

          "What do you mean?"

          "I'm talking about the tensions between everyone could bring it to the ground…"

          She still didn't realize what he had meant and gave him a questioning look.

          "I mean the argument between your friends and Edro! Please don't give me that look, I know what I mean," he laughed.

          "Oh!" she laughed in embarrassment, "Right, of course. That Edro dude… fellow," she corrected herself. "That will be an awful mess indeed. I say if we ignore their fighting when we get back, maybe they'll just work everything out… if they don't kill each other first…"

          "It seems they could handle it…"

          Ariel held back a laugh and sarcastic remark. Instead, she suggested, "Let's go see if my mother needs help with anything."

          "Alright," he replied.

          So Ariel led the way, not exactly knowing where she was going, she was led herself by her new-found sense of hearing, though not a accurate as elven-hearing, it was different from her normal perceptivity. She listened for the faint sounds of pots and pan.

          After a couple of wrong turns, she and Frodo found their way into the kitchen.

          "Azalea, dear, did those boys leave you two alone like that? Some hosts they are. That will have to change," she said hurriedly as they entered. She finished sliding something into the oven and stood up straight. "Now that the roast is in the oven, I suppose I have some free time. Perhaps now we can spend a little time together! Oh, but I doubt Frodo wants to listen to us gossip and such. I bet you would get along famously with Shawn or Shane, come dear, and I'll show you where they are," and she led him away before either of them could reply.

          Ariel examined her surroundings a bit while she was gone. The kitchen was a simple looking room, which seemed to be two ones turned into one, but the focal point of the room was obviously he table. It was large enough for at least ten people, though it seemed that they needed the space. There was a sink, of course, on one wall. And on the wall farthest to the right was the oven. It was an old-fashion looking model, like something you'd see out of our 1800's. This didn't surprise her, because she also knew that the most complex thing in Hobbiton was the mill.

          Her mother returned. She could tell this because she heard her mother going on about something. "I've got it!" she exclaimed as she came into the kitchen.

          "Got what?" Ariel asked.

          She giggled. "All the mothers of daughters speak of this! Why don't I fix you up a bit! Do your hair, perhaps a new dress on you… that sort o' thing!"

          "You mean… like a make-over?" she gulped.

          "Yes! It'll be loads of fun!"

          "But I–"

          "Come on, let's go!" she said, giggling once more.

          While being shoved into another room, which looked like it could have been her parent's room, she began to feel uneasy.

          "First, a bath. Then we'll do your hair and clothes. I'll go draw you a bath," Lily said. She went into the bathroom that was located inside the room also.

          _So this must be the master bedroom,_ Ariel thought to her self.

          She sat down on the bed, which was covered in a magenta colored comforter. It was rather large, and soft, and comforting…

          "Alright, you're bath is made!" Lily said.

          Ariel jerked back awake and said, "Okay, I'm going."

          "Hurry dear, or the water will get cold."

          "Mama, I can bathe on my own…"

          "Now, now, I see nothing wrong with me helping you."

          Ariel grumbled as she undressed and got in the tub. The water was warm and relaxing, which put Ariel in a better mood. She continued to muter, just not as much, as her mother scrubbed her hair. Her mother was in a tranquil blissfulness. Afterwards, Lily gave Ariel one of her old dresses.

          "This is a dress I used to wear when I was much, much younger. I thin it might be a bit big, but after a few good meals, it should fit perfectly."

          "What's this?" Ariel asked as she picked up what looked like a lighter, silky dress.

          "That's a slip dear," she replied. "You put that one first."

          "Looks like another dress… how many layers does this thing have?"

          "Just put it on and then I'll trim your hair up a bit," Lily smiled.

          "My hair?! What's wrong with my hair? I like how it looks…" she said, keeping her tone in line.

          She reluctantly put the dress on and her mother then trimmed her hair, but not changing too much. Lily kept wondering why her hair was as curly as a regular hobbit-lass' hair. Though it was a slight wavy, the norm for regular hobbit-lasses was mounds of curly hair, and young hobbit-lasses Ariel's age usually had darker hair. Ariel had a light shade of auburn with a few streaks of blonde ("All natural, no dyes or anything of the sorts," she claimed), which was mostly a result of being outdoors so much. Ariel replied it didn't matter much, and began to complain of hunger.

          Lily added the finishing touches, and then placed a bow to hold back some of Ariel's hair. Ariel made gagging gestures in the mirror of her mother vanity when her back was turned.

          "Look at you, sweetheart," Lily said, proud of how her daughter looked. 

          "Look at me… I'm so… cute," Ariel said, disgusted. "I look like a doll…"

          "You are so adorable, I just want to pinch your cute little cheeks!"

          "I hope you mean my face…" Ariel said quietly to herself.

          "Now, everyone must see you. I'll get the others gathered in the dinning room."

          "Everyone?" Ariel said as her eyes widen.

          Lily giggled and said, "Yes, of course, everyone here."

          She led her daughter to the hallway and stopped when they were in the dinning room, or kitchen, since they were both basically the same room.

She whistled for everyone.

          Meanwhile, Frodo spoke with Shane in his study. There were many gardening books aligned on the many bookshelves, and, Frodo noted, it was a lot more organized then his study at Bag End. Shane, he thought, was a peculiar hobbit, a bit forgetful, but very kind. At one point in their conversation, he had completely forgotten what they were talking about and had to be reminded of what they were speaking of. Frodo told him that he had noticed all the gardening books around.

          "Yes," Shane laughed. "Gardening has become a bit of a hobby of mine. It gives me a sense of pleasure, helping little seedling into the ground and watching them grow. But I must say, watching my little ones grow was a bit more of a challenge. It'll be hard when they all become of age and move out. Things will get so quite here. It's already started too, actually. Lily's brother and his wife had been staying here for quite awhile and we had gotten so used to them here. I hope Azalea doesn't mind being the only girl here, even all her cousin's are hobbit-lads."

          "All of them?" Frodo asked.

          "Every single one. Except for those distant, distant cousins who have so much other bloodlines mixed in you just rather call them cousins then their actual relationship to you. Ah, I remember when I was just a wee little lad. Got into a bit of trouble…" he laughed. "How about you, Frodo? Tell me, did you get into any trouble as a young one?"

          "Well, ah, I did, sir. When I lived in Buckland, I used to–"

          "Buckland! I hear there are strange folk in Buckland. You wouldn't happen to be one of them?" he said jokingly.

          Catching this, he said, "Define your definition of strange…"

          "Ah," he nodded, chuckling. "Good point. I hear they have good land in Buckland, do you know if it'd true? Never actually been there myself."

          They heard a long, high-pitched noise in the distance.

          "What was that?" Frodo asked.

          "We have been summoned," Shane replied standing up. "Let's go, lad." They headed into the kitchen.

          Ariel watched as her family gathered and began to flush terribly as Lily bragged on about how adorable her little Azalea looked.

          "And a faint smell of cooking meat could be detected in the distance," Shane said to his wife.

          "Dear, what are you going on about?"

          "Dinner. I'm a little hungry, and the smell of your wonderful cooking isn't helping any."

          "You can be a bit weird at times, dear," she replied.

          "So I'm told," he answered.

          "Mum says father is a genius, he just doesn't know how to go about and exercise his intelligence," Thomas whisper to Ariel and Frodo. They laughed silently.

          "Now dears you must be tired," Lily said, talking to Ariel and Frodo. "Why don't you sit and everyone else and I will set the table. Just leave everything to us!"

          They sat down at the table next to each other. Everyone else scurried about, setting down plates, and glasses, and whatever else they needed.

          "I feel like a cake in this thing… so many layers…" Ariel complained quietly to Frodo.

          "I must admit, though," he said with a smirk, "You do seem to be more lady-like now…"

          "Very funny…" she rolled her eyes. "Laugh now, but I bet you'd never willingly wear one of these either. Unless you plan to continue making comments like that," she said, returning the cunning smile.

          "Hm, I guess your point is made…"

          Dinner with the May family was quite enjoyable. They talked mostly of the family's history, their mishaps, and anything else Ariel asked about. One of the stories they told was of Ariel's great, great, great grandfather. He had been a storyteller of, what we would consider, fantasy tales. One day, he had convinced too many of the towns-hobbits that a dragon was currently staying nearby. When they had found out it was a lie, they each took turns to push him in a nearby river.

          After the meal, Frodo thought that it was best he'd go home for the evening.

          "I will come for you early in the morning, if that is alright. We should try to get an early start as possible to get back to Rivendell," he said as they stood out in front of the door. Frodo had set down his things next to him, for it was quite heavy and did not want to carry it any longer than he had to.

          "Okay," she nodded. "Then, I will see you tomorrow morning…" she laughed slightly. "This may be the first time we are such a distance from each other. I wonder if there is such a thing as being with someone too much. I hope that I am not starting to bother you."

          "No! In fact, it has been the exact opposite. You've been on my mind ever since you arrived in Gondor, and I hope that we never have to part from each other. I will count every minute that I am away from you," he said, resting his forehead against hers. "I hope that you do not grow tired of my company…"

          She looked up into his beautiful blue eyes. She could feel blood rising up in her cheeks and hoped she was not blushing too much to make Frodo notice. "And why would I grow tired of you? You've been nothing but a joy to be around. You are very different from any other guy I've met."

          "And exactly how many other 'guys' have you been with?" he said with a grin. 

          "I will tell you that only if you will share with me how many other 'lasses' you've been with," she said sweetly.

          "That's not important now, is it?" he laughed and bent down to pick up his things. He wanted to change the subject.

          "My point exactly. It's the here and now that counts. Goodnight, Frodo Baggins," she said playfully.

          "Good night, Azalea May," he said, and put his backpack on.

          "I really don't like that name," she frowned. "You won't tell Ley, Sarah, or Kaysie my real name, will ya? They'll never let that go if they knew…"

          "Do not worry, I promise, I won't say anything about it." He leaned over and kissed her. "Sweet dreams, dear. I will see you in the morning."

          Ariel, quickly finding her voice, replied, "Goodnight." She watched on as he headed on home to Bag End.

***

          As always, the sun rose as Ariel slept peacefully in the extra guest room. Ariel woke early, got dressed, and joined her family in the dinning room. They were already up and eating breakfast, or maybe second breakfast, she didn't know what the time was.

          Her mother noticed her walking in and rushed from her chair and guided Ariel to a seat. The table was loaded with all sorts of food. Lily placed a plate full of eggs, bacon, toast, sausage, hash browns, a muffin, ham, tomatoes, and mushrooms.

          _So much food… yum,_ Ariel thought as she looked down at her plate.

          "I've already gotten your things together, sweetheart. And by the way, Thomas says he wants to go with you! Won't you, dear?"

          "What?!" Ariel asked.

          "Come on, Sis. I'm curious to know what Rivendell is like, with the elves and all… it'll be fun! After all, we are twins, I'm still older, mind you, but someone has to look after my little sister. What do you say?"

          "Far too curious for a hobbit…" she muttered. "Well… if you can put up with my other friends and me, then I don't see why not. But after you stay at Rivendell to your heart's content, I want you to come back home. It'll be safer here."

          "I wish you would listen to your own words…" Shawn said quietly.

          "But I have to go, you know that," she replied.

          "Why do you have to go, Sissy Azalea?" asked Thane in confusion.

          "Because, there are some things happening that I am to be apart of. But I promise I will come back. Nothing will stop me from returning to my family."

          "Then we all wish everyone good luck on their journey," said Shane.

          "And bring back presents!" said Danny.

          "I'll try to…" Ariel laughed.

          With that meal in their bellies, Ariel and Thomas gathered their things and began their journey to Bag End. They planned to meet up with Frodo along the way. They did, but Sam and a young hobbit girl was with them. She was tall for her age, fair, and looked more elven then hobbit.

          "That must be Elanor the Fair, Samwise's first born," Ariel told Thomas as they approached the other hobbits.

          "Good guess. How did you know that was the mayor's daughter?" he asked.

          "Let's just say… I sorta, glanced into the future…"

          When they met up, Sam introduced his daughter to them and explained that they would be meeting Aragorn and Arwen in Rivendell.

          "Then, you are to be maid-of-honor to the Lady Arwen?" Ariel asked her.

          She simply nodded and smiled.

          "We should go and get the others," suggested Frodo.

          Shortly afterwards, they found Pippin, and then Merry joined them. They were on their way to Rivendell. As they traveled on, Ariel tried to converse with Elanor, but she said little in response.

          "It's sort of like talking to a tree, isn't it?" Thomas whispered to his sister.

          "That's not very nice… she's just a bit shy, that's all. Give her some time, she'll start talking."

          To fill in the silence on their trip, Ariel and Frodo did their best to explain to Sam, Merry, Pippin, Thomas, and Elanor what exactly was happening and why they were returning to Rivendell.

          One evening, as Ariel began to fall asleep, began to wonder about her friends.

          _I wonder how everyone else is doing? What kind of mees am I returning to?_

          After setting these thoughts in the back of her mind, she slowly fell asleep.


	18. Friends Together Again

Chapter 18: Friends Together Again 

          It was still dark outside when Kaysie woke up. She groaned. Waking up this early was starting to become a routine, her elven genes starting to take over. Kaysie rolled out of her larger feather bed and went to her dresser. She flipped through the clothes that hung in it until she finally settled for a silky sky blue dress. She put the dress on and then put her hair up in the common elvish fashion: a half ponytail with the sides braided. Though it was still very early Kaysie decided to go for a walk through the palace. She made for her bedroom door but stopped when a knock came from the other side. Kaysie frowned and glanced out the open balcony. It was still dark out. Kaysie opened the door. Standing there was Legolas.

          "Legolas," said Kaysie questioningly.

          "Melamin," he replied.

          "It's very early," Kaysie replied.

          "Yes," Legolas answered. "But you have been awake for awhile now."

          "How do you know?"

          "I could sense it the moment your eyes opened." Kaysie gave him a questioning look and he continued, "My lady, I have become so attuned to your behavior that I can tell whether or not you are sleeping without even being in the same you as you."

          "Is that a good thing?" asked Kaysie a little unnerved.

          Legolas gave a small smile. "It is for you to decide."

          "Okay… was there something in particular that you wanted?"

          "Only to be with you," was Legolas' simple response.

          "Well, I was just going to go for a walk but you can join me if you wish to," said Kaysie. Legolas nodded.

          Kaysie stepped through the doorframe of her room and shut the door. She took Legolas' hand and together they walked throughout Rivendell until the sun was directly above them. After a while Legolas led Kaysie to a stone bench to sit.

          "We have been walking for a long time now," Legolas stated.

          "Yeah, but it doesn't feel like it," admitted Kaysie.

          "No," agreed Legolas. He did not say anything for a while but then asked, "Are you still angry with me?"

          Kaysie looked at him. The bruise that had been on his left cheek and the cut on his lip that he had gotten during the fight with Edro were no longer visible.

          "No," Kaysie finally answered. "But I still thin that it was foolish of you to lunge at Edro the way you did."

          "I know," sighed Legolas. "I just could not control my hatred towards him any longer."

          "Listen," said Kaysie, "I agree that Edro is a bit… mysterious and I don't like him any more than you do but you can't go around fighting him all of the time… even if I do think that he deserved it."

          "I do not wish to anger or upset you," Legolas gently told her.

          "I know that. But you must hold your temper. My mother has already tried to persuade me into leaving you. She says that you are quick-tempered, dangerous, and that we do not belong together."

          "Do you think that she's right?" Legolas asked, his heart rate quickening.

          "No," Kaysie simply stated. "Well, except for the quick-tempered bit."

          Legolas felt sudden relief and smiled at her. He was going to ay something but a voice interrupted him.

          "There you two are!"

          Kaysie and Legolas turned their heads to see Ley and Negolas advancing towards them. They both stood up to greet their friends.

          "It's nice to see you too," was Kaysie's sarcastic reply.

          Ley rolled her eyes and said, "You two weren't at breakfast or lunch. Where have you been?"

          "Walking," answered Legolas.

          "And talking," Kaysie added.

          "Oh, that's interesting," replied Ley. Kaysie shot her a look.

          "So what are you two doing then?" asked Legolas.

          "Avoiding Sarah and Edro," said Ley.

          "Yes," agreed Negolas.

          "Good idea," said Kaysie. She remembered the fight that had happened just over a week ago. Everyone else obviously thought back to the fight too for no one said anything. Just then the sound of a horn broke the silence.

          "Someone has arrived," stated Negolas.

          The four friends rushed to the front entrance of Rivendell to see who it was that had arrived.

          When they reached the gate a small group of seven hobbits were speaking with Elrond and Gandalf, who had returned days ago when word had reached him of the letters from Beleganga. Sarah and Edro were also there along with a few other elves that had turned up. Ley and Kaysie grinned happily and ran to the gate to welcome their friends. When Ariel saw them coming towards them she yelled out.

          "Took you guys long enough to get here!" she said.

          When Kaysie and Ashley reached the group Ley looked at Ariel.

          "Ariel! You're back," she said.

          "Yup," replied Ariel. "Though I'm kinda surprised that Rivendell is still standing. I figured with you all here alone that this place would be destroyed."

          "You think you're so funny," said Kaysie. "But I'll have you know that there were only a couple of mishaps and only one of them turned into a fight."

          "Just one?" asked Ariel suspiciously.

          "Yes, just one," stated Ley. "Between Legolas and Edro."

          Ariel looked back and forth between Edro and Legolas, who along with Negolas had joined the group seconds after Kaysie and Ley. After a moment Ariel shook her head not feeling surprised one bit.

          "So, what else has been happening?" she asked.

          "Well," said Sarah speaking for the first time, "We got letters from Beleganga."

          "What?" Ariel asked. She had not been expecting this.

          "We shall all discuss this later," cut in Elrond. "Now is the time for catching up and we are still expecting one more guest."

          "Who?" asked Legolas.

          "The Lord Aragorn," answered Gandalf.

          "Oh," said Kaysie, "Is he becoming because of the letters?"

          "Yes," said Elrond. "And because Master Samwise is allowing his eldest daughter here…" Elrond placed his hands on Elanor's shoulders while Sam beamed with joy, "Elanor to go into service for the Lady Arwen as her maid-of-honor."

          "Congratulations," said Kaysie to Elanor.

          "Thank you," replied Elanor barely above a whisper. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment.

          "And who is this young hobbit?" asked Negolas looking at Thomas.

          "I'm Thomas May," he said.

          "He's my twin brother," said Ariel.

          "Yes," said Thomas. "But I'm still older." Ariel rolled her eyes as a horse came galloping through the gate. It was Aragorn.

          "Hello, everyone," he said dismounting his horse. "I apologize for being late."

          "Nonsense," chuckled Gandalf. "I think you have made perfect timing."

          Aragorn nodded and pulled a folded piece of paper from his vest pocket and handed it to Elrond.

          "From Arwen," he said. "She sends her regrets about not being able to travel in her condition."

          "Condition?" questioned Legolas. "You mean to say that you are expecting a child?"

          Aragorn smiled widely. "Indeed, I do, Master Elf."

          "That is wonderful!" cried Negolas. "If only Gimili were here. I'm sure he would want to hear the news."

          "Gimli? Where is he then, if he is not here?" Aragorn asked.

          "He went back to the mountains to counsel with his people after the meeting concerning the letters from Beleganga," explained Elrond.

          "Then, I shall have to write him," said Aragorn. He then caught a glimpse of Elanor. "And this must be Elanor," he said kneeling in front of her. "My lady, I was told that you were the fairest of hobbits. Now that I have seen you, I believe that those words do you no justice."

          "Lord Aragorn," replied Elanor, her former shyness gone, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you and I thank you for your kind words."

          Aragorn nodded, stood, and faced Sam. "You have done well, Master Hobbit," he said to him.

          "Aye," said Sam. "Though she takes after her mother Rosie."

          Aragorn laughed and patted Sam's shoulder. Then he turned and addressed the group.

          "I am sorry to cut our welcoming short but I am very hungry and would also like to rest."

          "Of course," said Elrond. "Please come inside… and anyone else who would like to refresh themselves."

          The group broke up and after everyone who wished to go inside did, only Ariel, Sarah, Ley, and Kaysie remained by the gate. The four friends found a place nearby to sit and there Ariel told her three friends about her stay in the Shire and in turn learned about what the events that had occurred in Rivendell.

          "So you didn't get one?" Kaysie asked Ariel referring to the letters.

          "No," said Ariel.

          "That's strange," stated Sarah.

          "I'll bet Gandalf has something to do with it," said Ley.

          "Maybe," said Ariel with a shrug.

          "You are a sorry excuse for an elf!" came a distant shout.

          Ley and Kaysie turned toward the direction of the voice.

          "What is it?" asked Ariel.

          Kaysie stood up quickly. "Oh no," she said and ran toward the castle closely followed by Sarah as the sound of more shouting reached them.

          "What's going on?" asked Ariel standing next to Ley.

          "Negolas, Legolas, and Edro," stated Ley as she began to advance toward the castle also. Ariel followed.

          When Ariel and Ley reached the castle they found Edro, Sarah, Kaysie, Legolas, Negolas, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin all gathered together forming a circle. Shouting was coming from the center of the circle. It was Kaysie.

          "I am sick and tired of this," she was currently yelling to Edro. "You have hit my last nerve. First, you insulted and then pushed Legolas. Then, you insulted him again and blamed him for the letters. And NOW you have the nerve to call Negolas and Legolas dirty orcs…"

          "What?" yelled Ley. She moved in between Kaysie and Negolas. "You called them dirty orcs?" she asked Edro.

          Edro shifted his icy gaze from Kaysie to Ley. "And if I did?" he asked coldly.

          "Then I'm gonna…" Ley took a step forward raising her fist to punch Edro. Sarah jumped in front of him.

          "Don't even touch him!" she hollered.

          "He deserves it," stated Ley. "Now move, Schitzo."

          "No," said Sarah defiantly.

          "Fine." Ley made to hit Sarah but was prevented from doing so when Ariel shouted.

          "I just got back and already you all are ready to kill each other! I don't care who said what to who but they're just words. It's not like they'll kill you or anything. Can't everyone just get along?"

          "No," said Kaysie, her gaze on Edro.

          "Why no…" Ariel was cut off by Legolas.

          "Take your eyes off of her," he said to Edro who was now staring intently back at Kaysie. Edro looked to Legolas.

          "Then tell this umea nis (evil woman) to avert her eyes elsewhere," he said.

          Legolas flared with anger and took a step forward and surprisingly enough so did Negolas.

          "You will learn to hold your tongue," spat Legolas.

          "Or we will teach you to do so," added Negolas.

          "You are not my lord, either of you," said Edro to the two menacing elves. "Therefore you hold no power over me. I do not have to listen to you."

          "Edro, stop," said Sarah suddenly catching everyone by surprise. "Even I can see why they all want to kill you. You're acting insane. Why are you being like this?"

          "I… I am sorry, Sarah. I do not know why I have been acting this way. Perhaps it is the cause of the suspicion you all hold towards me."

          "Edro, you never talk," said Ariel. "And you're very secretive. Of course that would cause suspicion."

          Edro sighed and then said, "I apologize for my attitude and anything offending that I said. I only ask that you accept my apology and not be so suspicious towards me. I mean no harm."

          Kaysie nodded though she did not accept Edro's apology while Ley continued to glare and Negolas and Legolas contemplated ways of torturing the dark haired elf. Edro knew that the elves before him did not believe his words and so far before he lost his temper again he walked away, Sarah following him.

          "I do not trust him," said Legolas when Edro and Sarah were a good distance away.

          "Nor do I," chided Negolas. Ley and Kaysie shook their heads in agreement.

          "Don't you guys think that maybe Edro was being honest?" asked Ariel.  She received her answer from the looks she was given. "I guess not," she continued. "But you can't keep fighting."

          "I agree," sighed Kaysie. "Eventually we will have to face Beleganga and if we are all not on friendly terms when that time comes then we will never succeed in defeating."

          Ley nodded as the remaining members of the fight lapsed into silence.

          "So, who's hungry?" asked Pippin.

***

          Meanwhile in a deep cavern hidden beneath the Misty Mountains Beleganga watched through his secret palantir, the lives of the ones chosen to destroy him. He let out a cruel laugh.

          "You shall not defeat me," he said aloud to himself. "For already your friendship is dwindling and doubt is clouding your minds. No hope is there for you."

          Beleganga laughed again and looked back into his palantir. Though the smooth stone he could see everyone in the House of Elrond sitting down to the evening meal all talking merrily and laughing at old tales being told, the hostility between the male elves temporarily forgotten.

          "Yes, enjoy yourselves while you can," Beleganga sneered. "For the time of war is drawing close and happy times will only be thought of past memories."  
          Beleganga turned away from the palantir and walked out of the small room that he was in and into a very narrow corridor. He walked the length of the corridor until he came upon the very last room. He stood in front of the doorway for a moment and then walked inside.

          Inside the room torches were lit and cast fierce shadows on the stonewalls. In the center of the room was a large stone table with maps scattered over the surface and next to the table stood a Nazgul. Beleganga moved beside the cloaked thing that was once a man.

          "How are the plans coming along?" Beleganga asked. The Nazgul nodded and Beleganga smiled. "Good," he said. "Then alert the others. The armies must be prepared."

          The Nazgul nodded and then left the room. Beleganga now alone, glanced at a map on the table. He traced his fingers over the pictures until his index finger hit the spot marked Lothlorien. It had a large red 'x' over it. Beleganga's eyes glinted.

          "Soon," he said. "Soon."


	19. Orcs In Lorien

Chapter 19: Orcs in Lorien 

          Six elves and six hobbits talked on a flight of stairs, scattered about. The hobbits separated Ley, Negolas, Kaysie, and Legolas from Sarah and Edro.

           "I still don't trust him, something tells me NOT to trust him, what it is that tells me I don't know." Ley had been silent for some time before that.

          "Well no more fighting," Kaysie said.

          "There's no forgiving what he said! He waits till I'm not around THEN pulls something like that!" Ley balled her hand into a fist and every moment her grip grew tighter.

          "Ley, not to disappoint you, but I believe I can take care of my own being–" Negolas was cut off by Ley.

          "See if I care!" A sharp pain in her hand distracted Ley; she looked at it and realized the blood. She squinted as she loosened her fingers.

          Merry and Pippin had glanced at the elves walking to Ley's left and noticed her hand.

          "Wonder what they're talking about?" Merry quietly asked Pippin.

          "Her hand is bleeding," stated Pippin plainly.

          "Don't you ever pay attention? Pip, you are an airhead."

          Ley had been watching the two hobbits and heard Merry's comment to Pippin. Ley took her injured hand, and tapped Merry's head to get his attention, "Continue your conversation with the others please. And leave Pippin alone."

          Merry and Pippin jumped into the conversation they had been having with Sam, Frodo, Ariel, Thomas, Sarah, and Edro.

          _Poor Ariel is surrounded by brothers. Wonder if I have siblings?_ Ley thought.

          "I agree with Ley, there is something about Edro," spoke Legolas, "Like an evil veil," he spoke softly.

          "Edro doesn't have the guts to say anything about Negolas and Legolas in front of me," Ley spoke up. She could see Edro's eyes look in her direction. _Such cold eyes… emotionless… scary. Geez Sarah, don't they give you the creeps?_ Ley thought to her self.

          "She's doing that space-case thing again," Kaysie said as she watched Ley go into thought.

          _Maybe it's my elven senses, I'm still not used to being another race. I'm not human, but I'm not scared. We elves have our benefits, but I doubt a human could die of a broken heart–_ Ley was cut off by Kaysie who knocked her on the head like a door.

          "Nope, she's not hollow," Kaysie laughed.

          "No just thinking… about… things," Ley gave a sigh. "I'm confused."

          "Why?" Kaysie asked.

          "Cause I'm not used to being an elf," Ley admitted.

          "You don't like being an elf, melamin?" Negolas asked placing two firm hands on Ley's shoulders.

          "Eeeeep!" Ley's head shot up and she looked at Negolas. "It's not that! I love being an elf, I'm just not used to my newly found senses."

          Ley could feel the icy cold gaze from the foot of the stairs; she peered over the heads of everyone and saw Edro side glancing at the company of elves.

          "Ummm…" Ley gestured with her head down below, "Eavesdropper."

          "We know," Legolas and Negolas said as one.

          Negolas had dropped his hands now and they rested on the step either side of him.

          Suddenly Frodo, Ariel, Thomas, Sam, Merry, and Pippin stood up.

          "It's time to eat," said Merry.

          At that, everyone stood. Sarah climbed down the couple of steps as Kaysie, Legolas, Negolas, and Ley went down. Sarah caught hold of ley's arm.

          "Hey! Lemme go!" Ley broke loose Sarah's hold.

          "What were ya'll saying about Edro?"

          "Nunya." Ley trotted down the steps and was next to Negolas. She turned around and saw Sarah and Edro (again). "Edro, I'll be honest, I just don't trust you. And if you hurt Sarah… I just won't go into detail."

          "He's not gonna hurt me!" Sarah shouted.

***

          Somewhere down the hall Ariel stopped and slapped her forehead.

          "What's the matter, Sis?" Thomas asked.

          "Sarah and Ley," she said turning around and running back to the stairway.

          Sam, Merry, and Pippin continued, Frodo and Thomas went with Ariel.

          Kaysie and Legolas had seen the beginning of the argument and knew why Negolas had stopped Ley in mid-lunge. Negolas held Ley back by his left arm hooking around Ley's middle.

          His restraining was working and Ley couldn't grab her daggers (they were in her room).

          Ariel, Frodo, and Thomas arrived.

          "Why is Ley off the ground?" Ariel asked. Indeed Ley was off the ground and looked rather… different.

          "Sarah, _you_ called Negolas and Legolas a 'he-she'!" Ley pushed at Negolas' arm, trying to push it down or better OFF but it didn't work.

          "I did not! I called Negolas a he-she!" Sarah corrected.

          "Wait a minute, when did she say that?" Kaysie interrupted.

          "Long time ago, and you said that about Negolas, so you said it about Legolas too!"

          Thomas looked at Ariel. "Do they always act like this?"

          "Sadly, yes, and I–" Ariel was cut short from Negolas' and Legolas' raised voices.

          "We told you once before: you will learn to hold your tongue," spoke Negolas.

          "Or we will teach you to do so," finished Legolas.

          Edro had said something but Ariel, Frodo, and Thomas weren't listening.

          "Ainaear! Ainaear!" 

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice.

"Lovely, it's my parents," Ley said flatly.

Sirfalas followed Celebear, both looked worried.

"What's the matter?" Ley asked.

"Lothlorien has been attacked!" Celebear jumped.

"Messengers have just arrived, your mother and I must return to Mirkwood," Sirfalas added.

Ley's eyes widened and shock appeared upon everyone's face.


	20. The Deal

Chapter 20: The Deal 

          Edro had an expressionless look on his face like always. Sarah was too angry to say anything.

          "That's horrible," said Ariel.

          "_Someone_ has some explaining to do," Ley said turning to Edro.

          "I…" Edro began to say but was cut off by Sarah.

          "You know, Ley… no, no. I am not going to do this. This is ridiculous!" Sarah said swiftly walking down the stairs. "Oh and by the way, I hope you're the first one to get attacked. We'd all be better off without you. And also, stop freakin' worrying about whether Edro is going to hurt me because I can take care of myself and if you harm Edro, I'll do ten times as much damage to you and your _precious_ little Neg-head!"

          "You wouldn't hurt me," Ley said.

          "Watch me!" Sarah said starting towards Ley but Edro moved in front of her.

          "You can deal with her later," Edro whispered into Sarah's ear. They both walked out the front door.

          "Okay, Ley, I'll have to be honest. This is going way too far. Lothlorien has been attacked and all you two can think about is killing each other? The only person who is going to do the killing around here is me if this doesn't stop!" Kaysie yelled.

***

          Sarah and Edro decided to go for a walk. Sarah was so angry that she didn't even look at Edro.

          "Sarah…" Edro began but was suddenly cut off by Sarah, again.

          "Teach me how to wield a sword!" Sarah yelled.

          "No," said Edro.

          "Why?!" Sarah yelled.

          "Because if I teach you how to wield a sword, you will fight in the war and I don't want you to fight in the war," said Edro.

          "Okay, I'll make you a deal: If you teach me how to wield a sword, I'll teach you how to see the good in people again," Sarah said. "Is it a deal?"

          "…Fine. It's a deal," Edro said.


End file.
